Statue of Victor Hugo

The statue in front of you captures one of France’s most legendary writers in striking detail. Cast in bronze by a Senegalese artist in 2003, Victor Hugo seems to come alive before your eyes. Born in Besançon in 1802, this towering figure of French Romanticism is celebrated all over his hometown, with a street, a square, two statues, and the house where he was born. And rightly so, given the incredible scope of his talent and the lasting impact of his work. More than just a writer, Hugo was a passionate intellectual who helped shape the course of 19th-century history, and his legacy is still felt today. He’s become a symbol of Besançon, and that symbolism is taken even further in this statue. In his left hand, he holds a clock, a quiet but powerful nod to the city’s past as the capital of French watchmaking.