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Hugo's Paris
 Paris is the greatest city in the world. Not because Hugo spent most of his life there, but because Paris, in any aspect you choose to consider, is a constant reminder of the greatness of Man. If a walk from l'Arc de Triomphe to the Louvre on a Sunday afternoon doesn't convince you of that fact, its history, culture and people will. Check any field of human endeavour and you will find that Paris is, and have been for ages, on the frontline; architecture, art, fashion, literature, politics, and so on. For centuries, French and Parisian culture have influenced the rest of the world; for centuries, people of every social status, from every field of interest, have gone on pilgrimage to Paris - to learn and to enjoy life.
 As for Paris in the 19th century, one must consider that Paris before Hugo's exile and Paris after Hugo's exile were two almost completely different cities. The reason for this was the great reshaping of Paris in the 1850's and 1860's - ordered by Napoleon III and executed by Baron Haussmann. The aim was to rid the city of its narrow streets and clean up the slum areas. The revolutions had shown that the streets of Paris were perfect for barricades and devastating for moving around disciplined troops. The strongest reasons for the Haussmann reshaping were in fact military. But it was also a way to make room for the bourgeoisie at the expense of the lower classes. Entire parts of the city were leveled with the ground, forcing poorer people to the outskirts. In their places came the grand boulevards, parks, hospitals, railway stations, markets, the typical Haussmann buildings and a rapidly growing middle and upper middle class. Under the surface, a new and much needed sewage system was constructed. Every street in Paris now has a corresponding sewer underground, complete with street signs and building numbers.
If you want to get a feeling of what the old Paris used to look like, the Quartier Latin or some parts of the Marais district will give you a hint.
A feature that was characteristic for both periods was the ruins. Invading armies and sieges had left marks all over Paris during both Napoleon Bonaparte and Napoleon III. In 1836, Carl August Hagberg reported home to his father:
Bold, grand palaces in the midst of bombarded ruins, where many bullets, that have passed from rifles through the hearts of citizens, are still stuck in the walls. Even the surroundings of the Tuileries and the Louvre looks like they have been condemned to be torn down and remains only due to mercy.
The Prussian siege of 1870, The Paris Commune in 1871, and MacMahon's siege of it, lasted six weeks and cost 20,000 people their lives and made large parts of Paris look like a gravel pit. However, in many Parisians opinion, Haussmann had demolished more of Paris than Prussians, MacMahon and Communards put together.
 Did Victor Hugo like the new Paris he returned to after exile? Concourt asked him, and he replied: "Yes, I love Paris as it is today. I wouldn't have liked to see the Boulogne as in the time when it was full of cabs, barouches and landaus. The city appeals to me now when it is a morass, a ruin... It is beautiful, it is magnificent!" In the 70's, he took almost daily rides on the omnibus between Batignolles and Jardin des Plantes - he even claimed that the top deck of the omnibus stimulated his writing. Just as often he took the tram between l'Etoile and Trône. In the summer of 1879, together with Juliette and some friends, he went up in the balloon from the Tuileries Garden. So you might say he had a front - or top - seat when Paris recovered and became what in many ways resembles the city it is today.
Reading about Paris is interesting, visiting Paris is an experience that will last a lifetime. Listed below are some places that are essential for every Paris visitor with an interest in Victor Hugo. There is also a compilation of the places where Hugo lived in Paris. The links will be activated as the pages are completed:
 PLACE DES VOSGES
MAISON VICTOR HUGO
L'ARC DE TRIOMPHE
PANTHEON
AVENUE VICTOR HUGO
WHERE HUGO LIVED
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