City Hall

Look behind you. The people of Reims boast of having one of the most beautiful town halls in France for a reason! And yet this building has had its share of misfortune over the years. The first stone of the building was laid in 1627, on the very site where the town council had been located since 1499. It was designed by the town’s architect, Jean Bonhomme. Due to a lack of funding, it took two and a half centuries to complete, but the original architecture and plan were nevertheless respected. The style remained that of the Renaissance, although it also included some Baroque elements. Despite this, the Council began to sit here in 1628. In 1917, however, it was with great sorrow that the city’s inhabitants saw this emblematic monument ravaged by fire, following intensive air raids on the city. Only the façade survived, but it was badly damaged. The entire building was rebuilt as soon as the war was over, and the façade restored, before being listed as a Historic Monument a few years later. The richly decorated façade features the coat of arms of the city of Reims on the balcony, and above it, an equestrian statue of Louis III, the king in power at the time the building was constructed. The bas-reliefs between the ground and ground floor windows were created between 1853 and 1856. The City Hall can be visited during Heritage Days, to give visitors a chance to explore its magnificent interior.