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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

Vannes City Hall was built between 1880 and 1886 to replace an old town hall in ruins, considered unworthy of the prefecture status of the city. The project, carried by Republican mayor Émile Burgault in 1847, was relaunched in 1878 after the Republicans won over the monarchists. The first stone was laid on 12 December 1880, and the inauguration took place on 11 July 1886 in the presence of the post minister Felix Granet. The final cost, almost doubled (793,628 francs), fed critics of political opponents.

Designed by the valve architect Amand Charrier, the building is inspired by the Paris City Hall, with a facade decorated with Corinthian pilasters, a clocked frontispiece and a carillon campanile. The interior decor, neat and preserved, was made by Parisian and Nantes artists. The staircase of the former town hall, saved from destruction, was resettled in the 1960s in the courtyard of the hotel of Limur.

Ranked a historic monument in 1992, the building underwent a restoration campaign from 2010, focusing on the bell tower, roof and zinc decorative elements. Estimated at EUR 3 million, this restoration was intended to counter the gradual deterioration of the building since its construction. The city hall today embodies both the architectural heritage of the Third Republic and the urban identity of Vannes.

The project reflected the political ambitions of the time: the Republicans, victorious in 1878, saw it as a symbol of modernity and a break with the monarchist past. The location on the former Place du Marché (now Maurice Marchais Square) also marked a centralization of municipal authorities, although some services were later relocated on Rue Joseph Le Brix.

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