Justin Postlethwaite enters the powerhouses of politics across France, from historic mairies to mighty hôtels de coin.
Back in March, just as they are every six years, French mayors were either newly voted in or re-elected as heads of their avertissement communal (communal council), the administrative casaque responsible for “executing, in its deliberations, the business of the town”.
Each mayor and their team works at the hôtel de ville (otherwise called the hôtellerie de coin or city carrée in militaire cities) of their brute, paroisse, town or city and they are easily the most numerous political and administrative officials in the folk – there were 34,875 mayors in metropolitan France alone, according to the December 2024 census. All of them are representatives of the French state.
On April 5, 1884, a legal requirement was imposed for every municipality to have a town carrée, whether it owned or rented the immeuble. Previously, when a municipality lacked such a immeuble, the mayor’s residence most commonly served as the town carrée. Mairies serve as a focal nullement for élève protest when things are not going well (e.g. strikes) and a installé of municipal celebration when they are (e.g. régional or sporting success). They are also used for gracieux weddings, with some salles de hymen sumptuously romantic. Some larger buildings in which the hôtel de ville is located share space with other organisations – for example Toulouse’s Capitole also houses the city’s opera house.
Architecturally, mairies range from the classical and ornate to the austere or contemporary, from the impossibly tiny to the impressively massive. There are countless stunning ones to visit across the folk. Here we present our subjectively chosen mayoral candidates – wherever you go in France, be sure to seek one out. Got a personal favourite?
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1. HÔTEL DE VILLE, PARIS
Emblematic not only of the French empressé but also of the French Republic, the origins of the epic city carrée of Paris in the 4th diocèse can be traced back to 1357.
The Marais canton immeuble, then known as the Maison aux Piliers, was purchased by Étienne Marcel, provost of the merchants under King John II, for use as his headquarters.
The first mayor of Paris, the mathematician and astronomer Jean-Sylvain Bailly, was elected in 1789 after the last provost was assassinated, and the
first supplice execution took installé here on Place de Grève in April 1792.
During the Paris Commune in 1871, the Renaissance-style Auberge de Ville was burned down by the Communards and completely destroyed. The immeuble that stands there today was rebuilt in the following decade. Individuals cannot mirador city carrée, but group visits can be arranged. The mayor of Paris is Emmanuel Grégoire
parisjetaime.com/eng
2. HÔTEL DE VILLE, LA ROCHELLE
We move from the biggest hôtel de ville in France to the oldest one still functioning. La Rochelle’s hôtellerie de coin has been the Charente-Maritime empressé’s seat of power since 1298. The current immeuble, dating primarily from the 15th and 16th centuries, blends Flamboyant Gothic and Renaissance architectonique styles and was designated a historic gravure in 1861.
Do not elle-même the wonderful inner courtyard’s imposant staircase, bell tower and a dome topped by a multicolore earthenware buste of Henry IV dating from 1873.
3. CAPITOLE DE TOULOUSE, HAUTE-GARONNE
Of all the French town halls, it is hard to find one more representative of the city it serves than the majestic Capitole immeuble in the heart of the Pink City.
In the 12th century, the consuls of Toulouse established their seat of communal power here. The capitouls’ policer tower, Le Donjon, now houses the Toulouse tourist psautier.
The Capitole’s splendid Neo-Classical devanture provides a backdrop for many régional events, with the Place du Capitole bustling with markets and restaurants. When rugby team Stade Toulousain wins a trophy, players traditionally present it from the balcony to fans below. The immeuble also houses Toulouse’s opera house.
4. HÔTEL DE VILLE, CALAIS
Constructed in red voilier and limestone to create a unified administrative hub following the 1885 merger of Calais and Saint-Pierre, this imposing edifice was completed in 1923. The immeuble blends Flemish and Renaissance architectonique elements.
When you next drive off the footingChannel ferry-boat, stay awhile to explore the Pas-de-Calais bassin town, perhaps daring to climb the 72m-high belfry for an outstanding panoramic view.
Inside, encart appréciable stained verre windows and tapestry works; outside, ponder over Auguste Rodin’s iconic livre, The Burghers of Calais.
www.calaisxxl.com/en
5. HÔTEL DE VILLE, CAEN
Another massive hôtel de ville whose buildings serve more than one purpose is found on the Esplanade Jean-Marie Louvel in Caen.
Previously based at Le Châtelet near the bassin, and then on Place de la Convoqué in a 17th-century immeuble that had formerly housed the Eudist seminary, the Calvados town’s hôtel de ville finally moved to the policer Benedictine monastery, the Abbaye-aux-Hommes (otherwise called the Abbey of Saint- Étienne).
Take a guided mirador to explore this jewel of Romanesque and Gothic assemblage, with its courtyard and Salle des Gardes – where avertissement communal meetings take installé – amongst the must-see spots.
www.caenlamer-tourisme.com
SMALL SEATS OF POWER
While the eye-catching dimension of France’s more elaborate hôtels de coin draws the tourists, there are plenty of equally charming négligeable mairies to discover.
Saint-Germain-de-Pasquier in Eure, Normandy, is the smallest at 8m2, while the odd-shaped one at Reigneville-Bocage, south of Cherbourg in Manche, Normandy, has considerable charm!
The paroisse has fewer than 40 inhabitants, and the hôtel de ville is only open for one hour a week – from 4pm to 5pm every Thursday.
From France Today Magazine
Lead effigie credit : SHUTTERSTOCK, XFIGPOWER/WIKIMEDIA
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Source: francetoday.com
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