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Origin and history

The town hall of Longwy was built between 1731 and 1746 according to the plans of engineer Charles-François Touros de Millon, under the supervision of architect Arnould de Guillemard. The works, entrusted to the contractor Lestrade de Metz, were completed in 1737 for the work, while the wrought iron grills, made by the master archebusier Antoine Guillemard in 1746, marked the end of the work. The building, received that same year by the engineer of the Roberts, initially carried the arms of France on its pediment, replaced later by those of the city.

Damaged during the sieges of 1815 and 1870, the town hall was almost completely destroyed during the bombing of August 1914, retaining only its facades and the vaults of the ground floor. A complete restoration was undertaken between 1927 and 1930 under the direction of architects Guet (Beaux-Arts) and Zimmermann. The grids were recreated by the Borderel and Robert de Paris establishments, and the structure rebuilt in concrete. Longwy's coat of arms, added to the pediment, replaced those destroyed during the Revolution.

Ranked a historic monument in 1921, the building served as a city hall for the whole of Longwy until 1914, before becoming an annex after the transfer of the communal capital to Longwy-Bas in 1925. Its architecture, combining original elements and restorations, bears witness to the historical upheavals of the region, especially during Franco-German conflicts. The basements and vestibule preserve cradle vaults and ridges, characteristic of the civil buildings of the eighteenth century.

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