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Origin and history

The town hall of Metz, located in Place d'Armes, is an iconic 18th-century neoclassical building built in Jaumont stone. Its 92-metre façade, decorated with allegorical sculptures (war, justice, commerce) and classified as a historic monument since 1922, dominates the royal square designed to aerate the cathedral district. Inside, a monumental staircase at the open-plan huisseries leads to the reception hall, where works like a portrait of General Lasalle, the child of Metz, stand.

The project was born in 1728 under the impetus of the Marshal of Belle Isle, governor of the Three Bishops inspired by the Enlightenment. Desiring to modernize Metz, he entrusted architect Jacques-François Blondel with the creation of a royal square surrounded by public buildings. Negotiations with the bishopric and the local bourgeoisie, slowed down by the wars of Succession of Poland and Austria (1733-1748), culminated in 1761. The construction lasted ten years, with an additional wing completed in 1788 on the site of the Saint-Gorgon church.

The building, still dedicated to its municipal function since its creation, has undergone major restoration in 2007. The architect Christophe Bottineau supervised the cleaning of the blackened facade by the pollution, the renovation of the windows and grids, and the installation of lighting highlighting the frontons and the roof. Interior decorations, such as the stained glass windows of Laurent-Charles Marshal or the statues of Justice and Prudence, bear witness to the artistic fascist of the Enlightenment.

The historical context of Metz in the 18th century is marked by its strategic role at the borders of the kingdom. A garrison town protecting Stanislas Leszczynski (the father of Louis XV) in Lorraine, she welcomed the king in 1744 during the Austrian War. The city hall, symbol of municipal power in front of the bishopric, also embodies the alliance between the army (martial referendums on the facade) and commerce, the pillar of the local economy.

The building is part of an urban complex redesigned by Belle-Isle, including the theatre of Petit-Saulcy Island (1732), the oldest French theatre still in operation. These adjustments reflect the influence of ideas Enlightenment in the province, mixing public utility and classical aesthetics. The Place d'Armes, now the heart of Metz, was conceived as a place for civic gathering and representation of the royal and municipal power.

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