Paris City Hall (Hotel de Ville)

In 1357, Etienne Marcel, a wealthy Parisian merchant, bought a “House of Pillars” near Notre-Dame de Paris and the Ile de la Cite. There, the first municipality of Paris was headquartered. Marcel appointed himself the provost of the city. For more than six centuries, whoever ruled Paris, the city hall building has been standing on the same place, the former Place de Greve, now the Hotel de Ville Square. The building has nothing to do with hotels, and the name, Hotel de Ville, translates as the “city mansion” or “city hall.” The one that you can admire now is the fourth in succession. The “House of Pillars” was demolished in 1525 (there was not enough space), but religious wars delayed the construction of a new one. It was only possible to rebuild it by 1628. In 1828, the city authorities again needed more space, and two additional wings were added to the Hotel de Ville. A tragedy occurred in January 1871, during the Paris Commune. Already at the end of the uprising, the building was set on fire. It burned for several days, and the smoke from the fire covered the entire Paris. Ten years later, the Hotel de Ville was restored to its original appearance, supplemented with statues installed on the facade. There are statues of 83 people of science and art in the niches, two women among them.

The Hotel de Ville is still home to the mayor of Paris and the city administration, so access to the luxurious museum interiors is limited. The Hotel de Ville is open to visitors only a few days a year, on national holidays.

On the square in front of the Hotel de Ville, as at all times, life is in full swing. Only back then, in addition to national holidays and festivities, executions were also held there. The first guillotine was installed on the Place de Greve in 1792; since then, people were executed there for criminal offenses because political guillotines stood on the Place de la Concorde.

Now, the entertainment is exceptionally peaceful: in winter, a large skating rink is built in front of the Hotel de Ville. In summer, contemporary art exhibitions, street theater festivals, and concerts are held on the square. There is a traditional French carousel for children. The night illumination of the Hotel de Ville makes it even more beautiful: it seems that the building hovers over the Place de l’Hotel de Ville.