Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The town hall of Reims, the seat of municipal institutions since 1499, was originally built after the acquisition of a building on the Place du Marché-aux-Chevaux. The project, financed by a debt of £22,000 from the Duke of Guise, began in 1627 under the direction of architect Jean Bonhomme. The first wing, delivered in 1628, already housed the Council, while the façade was completed in 1636, then completed in the 19th century with a statue and a corner tower.

The building underwent major extensions between 1820 and 1880, with the addition of two wings under Narcisse and Nicolas Brunette. Destroyed by a fire in 1917 during World War I, it was rebuilt from 1924 to 1928 by architects Bernard Humbold, Roger-Henri Expert and Paul Bouchette. Gaston Doumergue, President of the Republic, inaugurated in 1928, symbolizing the rebirth of Reims after the destruction.

The building, with four wings and an octagonal campanile, houses an equestrian statue of Louis XIII (replacing the original bronze destroyed during the Revolution) and bas-reliefs of the 19th century. Its Salon d'honneur, adorned with an Art Deco organ unique in France (the "Orgue de la République"), bears witness to its multifunctional role: museum, library, court and today municipal services. Ranked a historic monument in 1862, it embodies the architectural and political evolution of the city.

The excavations revealed Roman remains (domus, pilasters) three metres deep, highlighting the historical anchoring of the site. The Bonhomme family, remois architects, also marked the city with works on the ramparts and the cathedral. The sculptures, like those of Paul Berton, and the paintings of the mayors of Reims enrich his artistic heritage.

Protected by several rankings (1862, 1922, 1952), City Hall remains a civic symbol, mixing medieval heritage, modern reconstructions and contemporary administrative functions. Its soil and facades, as well as the campanile, are preserved as testimonies of successive epochs.

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