Paris City Hall, histoire d’insurrections, né de l’incendie de 1871

Théodore Ballu
Édouard Deperthes

City Hall, Place de l'Hôtel de Ville

(tel. 01 42 76 43 43, visits by appointment at 01 42 76 50 49)

The Parisian municipality originated from the water merchants' guild. Granted by the king in 1170, the monopoly on river transport gave them considerable power, as trade was mainly conducted by boat at the time. In 1246, Saint Louis created the first municipality: the bourgeoisie of Paris elected aldermen to represent them before the king. Their leader was called the “provost of merchants” and the seal of the water merchants, the most powerful, was adopted: it was the famous boat that “floats and does not sink” (“fluctuat nec mergitur”), which today forms the coat of arms of the City of Paris. For a century, meetings were held in the vicinity of the Abbey of Sainte-Geneviève on the Left Bank. In 1357, Etienne Marcel, provost of merchants, bought a house overlooking the small Place de Grève. The “Maison aux piliers” (House of Pillars) was a Gothic building decorated with arcades on the ground floor, hence its name.

It was rebuilt in the 16th and then in the 17th century. Extensively remodeled, enlarged, and decorated (with paintings by Ingres and Delacroix) in the 19th century under Louis-Philippe, it burned down completely during the Commune in 1871. A national subscription enabled it to be rebuilt in 1882 in its original style (by Théodore Ballu and Edouard Deperthes). Numerous niches and pillars house 108 statues of celebrities born in Paris. Above the crown of the building stand the statues of 30 French cities - except Strasbourg and Metz. The “clock pediment” adorning the center of the main façade represents several female allegories: the Seine and the Marne framed by Labor and Education, surmounted by the City of Paris. The interior, decorated with gilding, woodwork, and Baccarat chandeliers, bears witness to the splendor of the Third Republic. The Paris Council, which usually meets on Mondays, is open to the public. The Paris mayor's office is located on the Quai de l'Hôtel de Ville.