Hotel de Ville (Châlons-en-Champagne)

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Châlons Town Hall, facade (2004)

The town hall of Châlons-en-Champagne ( French Hôtel de Ville ) is a classicist building in the French city of Châlons-en-Champagne . The building was built from 1772 to 1776 according to plans by the architect Nicolas Durand and replaced a building from the 16th century in the same place. It has been a listed building since 1941.

location

The town hall is located in the city center of Châlons, east of the Marne. The Place du Maréchal Foch dominates as the eastern end , an almost square square that was designed as an urban ensemble by Durand. The building represents the eastern end and vanishing point of the east-west axis formed by the rue Jean Jaurès – rue de la Marne , which also crosses the Marne; its facade and dome are still visible from the west of the Marne Bridge, about 800 meters away.

Place Godart is adjacent to the rear of the building to the east .

history

View of the former town hall until 1771

In the Middle Ages, a hospice stood on the site of today's town hall. In 1533, construction work began on the first town hall on the site, which was not completed until 1612. However, this building with a heavily decorated Renaissance facade turned out to be unsuitable. In 1771 it was demolished to make way for the new structure.

The town hall was built by order of the Royal Council (Conseil du Roi) by decree of November 1771; It was initiated by the director of the Champagne Province , Gaspard-Louis Rouillé d'Orfeuil , as part of his campaign to upgrade the city. The foundation stone for the building was laid in June 1772; it was completed in October 1776.

Design of the building

Functional aspects

The building was intended as a multi-purpose building: the north wing housed the city council, the south part the administration of justice and the east wing a prison.

facade

The west-facing facade consists of two side wings and a central part with six columns with Ionic capitals and a fronton above . This is adorned with a relief that stands as an allegory for the city: a woman with a crown formed from fortification towers is surrounded by putti with the products of the region: grapes (for viticulture) and ears of wheat (for agriculture). Under the fronton there are coats of arms framed by angels. At first there was a lily banner on the middle coat of arms, but it was knocked off during the French Revolution .

On the front staircase there are four stone lions, which were created by the sculptor Antoine Lépine between 1777 and 1778 . They were described by Victor Hugo in his travelogue Der Rhein as the “only remarkable” feature of the building.

Interior

First floor with city arms and stairs (2011)

The furnishings and decorations serve to demonstrate the power of urban government, such as the peristyle with 28 Doric columns, the monumental wrought-iron staircase in the Louis XVI style, the grisaille on the first floor, the ten famous personalities of the city and the main commercial activities in the city at the beginning of the 19th century, or the city coat of arms with the Latin motto Et decus et robur (fame and strength).

Grand Salon (2017)

The main portal on the first floor leads to the Grand Salon , which was once used as a ballroom and is now used for wedding ceremonies. It is decorated with pilasters , the Corinthian capitals of which are set with gold leaf. On the ceiling there are grisailles by Jean-Baptiste Lallement . The adjoining council chamber serves as a meeting room for the 43 city councilors and 57 members of the municipal association. The mayor's office, which is also richly decorated and can be visited during the European Heritage Days , is on the same floor .

See also

Web links

Commons : Hôtel de ville de Châlons-en-Champagne  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h i Laissez-vous conter l'Hôtel de Ville. (PDF file) City of Châlons-en-Champagne, accessed on December 23, 2017 (French).
  2. ↑ Hôtel de Ville Châlons-en-Champagne in the Base Mérimée , accessed on December 23, 2017.
  3. ↑ See for example Google Maps and Google Street View , accessed December 23, 2017.
  4. ^ Victor Hugo : Le Rhin, Lettres à un ami . 1842, Lettre III (French): "Quant à l'Hôtel de Ville, il n'a de remarquable que quatre énormes toutous en pierre accroupis formidablement devant la façade. J'ai été ravi de voir des lions champenois. »

Coordinates: 48 ° 57 '23.8 "  N , 4 ° 21' 45.8"  E