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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The town hall of Mulhouse, called Rothüss in Alsatian, is an emblematic building of the Rhine Renaissance style, located in Reunion Square. Built between 1552 and 1553 by the Basel architect Michel Lynthumer after the 1551 fire, it replaces a first building dating from 1432. Its volute gables and its covered staircase of honor, slightly decentralized, illustrate the artistic influence of the Rhine Renaissance. Painted in red and gold by Christophe Bock, he embodied the power of the Mulhousian bourgeoisie, then allied with the Swiss cantons. Montaigne described it in 1580 as a "magnificent palace and all sleep".

In 1637, a gallery was added to the back of the building, and in 1698, Jean Gabriel painted trompe-l'oeil decorations inspired by the engravings of Henri Goltzius. A second floor was added in 1778-1779, partially modifying the painted motifs, under the direction of Théodore-André Genderreich. On 15 March 1798, since his predecessor, the Mulhouse Meeting was proclaimed in France, marking the end of his status as an independent republic. The decorations, restored several times (1846, 1903, 1988), combine allegories of the reformed virtues and coat of arms of the Swiss cantons, historical allies of the city.

The interior preserves remarkable elements such as the Grand Council Hall, with its box ceiling, stained glass windows and original panelling. This room, still used for municipal sessions, also houses a stone safe and the coats of arms of the former mayors. The building also includes the Mulhouse Historical Museum, established in 1969 after the departure of municipal services in 1958. Among the curiosities, the Klapperstein (stone of the chatter), reproduced on the facade, recalls an infamous punishment abolished at the Revolution: the moussants had to cross the city with this stone of 12 kg around the neck, sitting on a donkey.

Ranked Historic Monument in 1961 (after a first inscription in 1929), the city hall symbolizes both Mulhouse's past autonomy, its alliance with the Swiss Confederation, and its subsequent integration with France. Its exterior decorations, inspired by ancient Rome, celebrate the civic virtues (Justice, Temperance, Faith) dear to the Mulhusian Republic, while its archives and museum collections testify to its rich political and cultural past.

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