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Hôtel de Ville, Limoges

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Hôtel de Ville
The main frontage of the Hôtel de Ville in May 2026
Map
General information
TypeCity hall
Architectural style
LocationLimoges, France
Coordinates45°49′35″N 1°15′37″E / 45.8265°N 1.2604°E / 45.8265; 1.2604
Construction started
1879
Opened14 July 1883; 143 years ago (1883-07-14)
Height
Height43 m (141 ft) (before the campanile collapsed)
Design and construction
ArchitectAlfred Leclerc [fr]
Official name
Hôtel de ville et Fontaine
TypeInscrit
Designated1975
Reference no.PA00100361

The Hôtel de Ville (French pronunciation: [otɛl də vil], "City Hall") is a municipal building in Limoges, Haute-Vienne, France, standing on the Place Jacques Chirac. Completed in 1883 by architect Alfred Leclerc [fr], it was designated a monument historique by the French government in 1975.[1] It was badly damaged by arson during the 17 October riots in 2026.[2][3]

History

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Background

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By the Middle Ages, the city was managed by consuls based in an ancient town hall in the Rue Fontgrouleu (now the Rue du Consulat), which dated as early as 1487.[4][5]

Following the outbreak of the French Revolution, the old building was permanently abandoned and a new town hall was established: the site the council selected was a former convent in the Place Saint-Gérald and earlier an ancient Roman forum. This was a simple two-storey building with a central bell tower, which was completed in 1811.[6] On 4 April 1871, inspired by the establishment of the Paris Commune, a crowd of revolutionary guardsmen stormed both the town hall and the prefecture, and demanded the establishment of a similar commune in Limoges. In the ensuing melee, shots were fired and Colonel Auguste Billett of the French Army was mortally wounded, although the French Army eventually regained control.[7][8][9]

Current building

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After a local resident, Alfred Fournier, died and left his entire estate to the city in July 1875, the council decided to demolish the old town hall and erect a new building on the same site. Winner of the Grand Prix de Rome and former chief architect of the Château de Versailles, Charles-Alfred Leclerc, was commissioned for the project. Construction commenced in 1879 and the building officially opened on 14 July 1883.[10]

In May 1940, during the Second World War, Mayor of Limoges Léon Betoulle, welcomed the prime minister of Belgium, Hubert Pierlot, and other members of the Belgian government in exile to the town hall.[11] Following the death of the former president of France, Jacques Chirac, in September 2019, the address of the town hall was changed to the Place Jacques Chirac in 2022.[12]

2026 arson attack

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The Hôtel de Ville in Limoges collapsing in flames

During the 17 October riots, the town hall was attacked by rioters, who stormed the building and threw firebombs inside.[13][14] According to Mayor Guillaume Guérin, after entering the building perpetrators threatened to kill officials and security guards.[15] The bell tower and roof were consumed by flames and collapsed into the building.[2][16] Firefighters reported that they were able to save four-fifths of the building, but partial collapse of the structure remained possible.[17] Guérin said he would resign unless the French government paid for the reconstruction. Prime minister Sébastien Lecornu responded that the state would pay for the reconstruction and the continuation of local services in Limoges.[18][15]

On 20 October, a 34-year old activist with a prior history of violence was arrested by French police for the arson attack.[19]

Fire at the Hôtel de Ville (17 October 2026)
The day after the fire (18 October 2026)

Architecture

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Inspired by the Hôtel de Ville, Paris, Leclerc designed the building in the Neo-Renaissance and Louis XIII styles, with a symmetrical château-style main frontage of 11 bays facing onto the Place Jacques Chirac. The central section featured a series of tall carriage arches on the ground floor, fenestrated by tall casement windows with balustrades on the first floor. At roof level, there was a parapet, which was decorated with four medallions, and a central clock tower with an ornate belfry, which stood at 43 metres (141 ft) high before the 2026 fire. The end sections of three bays each were fenestrated in a similar style and surmounted by separate mansard roofs. The medallions on the parapet were created by Giandomenico Facchina and depicted the painter Léonard Limosin, the former chancellor Henri François d'Aguesseau, the statesman Pierre Victurnien Vergniaud, and the military leader Jean-Baptiste Jourdan.[20] The two pediments on either side of the clock were surmounted by statues, sculpted by Tony Noël, representing the industries of goldsmithing and enamelling.[21] A stone fountain, designed and sculpted by Charles Genuys, was installed in front of the town hall in 1893.[22]

Leclerc incorporated the Neo-Renaissance influence into the interior of the building, with a pink-marble floored reception hall anchored by a sweeping double-flight grand staircase. Murals by Henri-Paul Motte, including Passé et Présent: union du Limousin à la France par Henri IV (exhibited at the 1884 Paris Salon) and L'Atelier de Léonard Limosin (1885), as well as paintings by Abel Trinocq, Jean-Joseph Weerts, and Urbain Bourgeois were hung throughout the building.[23][24]

References

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  1. ↑ Base Mérimée: PA00100361, French Ministry of Culture (in French)
  2. 1 2 "Town hall in Limoges 'largely lost' to blaze set during French protests". France 24. 17 October 2026. Retrieved 17 October 2026.
  3. ↑ Prestimonaco, Lino (17 October 2026). ""C'est une catastrophe": l'hôtel de ville de Limoges détruit par les flammes, après la manifestation contre la vie chère". Le Parisien.
  4. ↑ "Laissez-vous conter l'hôtel de ville de Limoges" (PDF). City of Limoges. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  5. ↑ Bulletin de la Société Archéologique et Historique du Limousin. Vol. 11. Société Archéologique et Historique du Limousin. 1861. p. 254.
  6. ↑ "Hôtel de ville de Limoges". Patrimoine et Inventaire de Nouvelle Aquitaine. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  7. ↑ Milza, Pierre (2009). L'année terrible: La Commune (mars–juin 1871) (in French). Paris: Perrin. pp. 160–162. ISBN 978-2-262-03073-5.
  8. ↑ "4 avril 1871 la brève Commune de Limoges". Commune 1871. 21 December 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  9. ↑ "La Commune à Limoges". Archives départementales de la Haute-Vienne. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  10. ↑ "l'Hôtel de Ville". Histoire de Limoges. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  11. ↑ Allen, Robert W. (1 August 1997). "Britain and the Belgian Exiles 1940–1945" (PDF). University of London. p. 24. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  12. ↑ "La mairie de Limoges change d'adresse!". Le Populaire (in French). 1 January 2022. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  13. ↑ "Fire rages at town hall in France's Limoges after protests: authorities". RTL. 17 October 2026. Retrieved 17 October 2026.
  14. ↑ "Manifestations du 17 octobre: l'hôtel de ville de Limoges incendié "est en grande partie perdu"". BFM TV. 17 October 2026. Retrieved 17 October 2026.
  15. 1 2 7 000 personnes rassemblées après l'incendie de la mairie de Limoges (in French). M6 Info. 19 October 2026. Retrieved 21 October 2026 – via YouTube.
  16. ↑ Raimbault, Agnès (17 October 2026). "Mobilisation du 17 octobre à Limoges: la mairie de Limoges toujours en feu, le campanile, emblème de la ville, s'est effondré". France Info (in French). Retrieved 17 October 2026.
  17. ↑ "EN IMAGES. La mairie de Limoges dévastée par les flammes, le point sur les dégâts et le travail des secours". France 3 Nouvelle-Aquitaine (in French). 18 October 2026. Retrieved 18 October 2026.
  18. ↑ Raimbault, Agnès (18 October 2026). "Guillaume Guerin, maire de Limoges, menace de démissionner si l'État ne finance pas la reconstruction de l'hôtel de ville, le Premier ministre promet des moyens" (in French). France 3. Retrieved 19 October 2026.
  19. ↑ "Suspect arrested after Limoges town hall set alight during disorder - French media". BBC. 20 October 2026. Retrieved 21 October 2026.
  20. ↑ "Les médaillons des l'hôtel de ville". Histoire de Limoges. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  21. ↑ Ferrer, Jean-Marc; Grandcoing, Philippe (2003). Une histoire de Limoges. Culture et patrimoine en Limousin. p. 104. ISBN 978-2911167331.
  22. ↑ "France, Haute Vienne, Limoges, Place Leon Betoulle, porcelain, bronze and granite fountain designed by Charles Genuys and inaugurated in 1893". Alamy. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  23. ↑ "Fire at the Hôtel de Ville in Limoges Following the Protest; Severe Damage Reported". www.finestresullarte.info. Retrieved 19 October 2026.
  24. ↑ "peinture : Passé et Présent : union du Limousin à la France par Henri IV – POP". pop.culture.gouv.fr. Retrieved 19 October 2026.
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