After a renovation that cost more than 4 million euros (4.5 million dollars), the house of iconic French writer Victor Hugo (1802-1885) in his British exile was opened to public on Sunday.
The romantic dramatist, poet and novelist spent almost 15 years in exile on the British island of Guernsey off the French coast in the English Channel.
According to the German news agency, Hugo designed the Hauteville House in St. Peter Port himself and was also inspired by his works.
His son Charles called the huge house overlooking the sea an "autograph on three floors and a poem in several rooms."
Hauteville House now belongs to the city of Paris. French art collector and patron Francois Pinault took on about 3.5 million euros of the cost of the renovation, with the rest financed by Paris.
Hugo, who won world renown with his works "Les Miserables" and "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," was exiled for rebelling against the coup d'etat in which Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte took power in December 1851, paving the way for the reintroduction of the monarchy the next year.
Hugo's house is scheduled to remain open until September 30.
