Hôtel de Ville, Mulhouse
| Hôtel de Ville | |
|---|---|
 The main frontage of the Hôtel de Ville in January 2010 | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Type | City hall |
| Architectural style | Northern Renaissance style |
| Location | Mulhouse, France |
| Coordinates | 47°44′48″N 7°20′21″E / 47.7466°N 7.3393°E |
| Completed | 1553 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Michel Lynthumer |
The Hôtel de Ville (French pronunciation: [otɛl də vil], City Hall) is a municipal building in Mulhouse, Haut-Rhin, eastern France, standing on the Place de la Réunion. It was designated a monument historique by the French government in 1929.[1][2]
History
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The first town hall was erected on the current site in 1432, at which time Mulhouse was a free imperial city within the Holy Roman Empire. After Mulhouse broke away from the Holy Roman Empire to join the Old Swiss Confederacy in 1515,[3] the building served as the seat of government of the Republic of Mulhouse. The building was destroyed by a major fire in January 1551.[4][5]
The council immediately set about commissioning a new building on the same site. It was designed and built by a mason from Basel, Michel Lynthumer, in the Northern Renaissance style, and was completed in 1553. The design initially involved a two-storey building facing west onto the City Square (now known as the Place de la Réunion). It featured a large forestair in a position slightly to the right of centre and was fenestrated, on the first floor, by tripartite windows. It was also elaborately painted in red and gold. Internally, the principal room was the Salle du Conseil (council chamber) on the first floor. The essayist and travel writer, Michel de Montaigne, described it as "un palais magnifique et tout doré" (a magnificent palace and all golden) in his essay "Voyage à travers l'Europe".[6]
The artist, Jean-Gabriel, painted a series of trompe-l'œil frescos on the sides of the building, based on engravings by Henri Goltzius, in 1698.[7] In 1779, the expansion of the building by an extra storey created a canvas for additional decorations, including a series of painted niches containing painted statues created by Théodore-André Genderich.[8]
Following the French Revolution, the council agreed to dissolve the Republic of Mulhouse and a treaty documenting the annexation of Mulhouse by France was proclaimed on the forestair of the building in March 1798.[9]
The Musée historique de Mulhouse opened on the second floor of the building in 1864.[10] One of the exhibits added to the collection in the museum was the "Die Klapperstein" (the chatter stone) which was worn round their neck by slanderers, accused of malevolent chatter, as they walked through the city and were pelted with rocks as punishment.[11][12]
References
[edit]- ^ Base Mérimée: PA00085528, Ministère français de la Culture. (in French)
- ^ Base Mérimée: IA00096496, Ministère français de la Culture. (in French)
- ^ "19 Janvier 1515 - Alliance entre Mulhouse et les 13 Cantons Suisses (500e anniversaire)". JDS. 7 October 2015. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
- ^ Minery, René (1992). Les sapeurs pompiers du Haut-Rhin. FeniXX réédition numérique. p. 207. ISBN 978-2402442213.
- ^ Ehrsam, Nicolas (1868). L'Hôtel-de-Ville de Mulhouse. J.-P. Risler & Cie. p. 5.
- ^ de Montaigne, Michel Eyquem (1866). Essais de Michel de Montaigne. Vol. 4. Garnier frères. p. 290.
- ^ Oberlé, Raymond (1985). Mulhouse ou La genèse d'une ville. FeniXX réédition numérique. p. 163. ISBN 978-2402417020.
- ^ Bulletin du Musée historique de Mulhouse. Vol. 38–40. Musée historique de Mulhouse. 1918. p. 85.
en 1779, eut lieu une nouvelle restauration, qui fut confiée à Théodore-André Genderich
- ^ Bourgeois, Emile (1898). Manuel historique de politique étrangère. Vol. 2. Belin frères. p. 173.
- ^ "Hôtel de Ville – Musée historique". Patrimoine Mulhouse. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
- ^ Stöber, August (1856). Notice historique sur le Klapperstein ou la pierre des mauvaises langues, suivie de quelques mots sur le supplice de la lapidation. C. Decker. p. 4.
- ^ Conrad, Jacques (1987). Mulhouse au début du siècle: promenade illustrée dans les vieux quartiers. FeniXX réédition numérique. p. 113.