Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The town hall of Rennes was built between 1734 and 1743 by architect Jacques V Gabriel, the King's first architect, following the great fire that ravaged the city in 1720. The final plans, validated by the municipal council on 23 May 1734 under the mandate of Mayor Toussaint-François Rallier du Baty, marked the beginning of the work after the solemn laying of the first stone on 12 April 1734. The building, composed of two classical wings connected by a quarter circle drop, initially housed the faculties of law and science in its northern wing, as well as a chemistry firm occupied by Professor Faustino Malaguti until 1855.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the town hall was profoundly remodelled by Mayor Jean Janvier, who considered it "unworthy of a capital". The architect Emmanuel Le Ray added a monumental staircase in the south wing and reorganized the interior spaces to make them more functional. In 1918, January also decided to create the "Pantheon Rennais", a memorial room dedicated to the deaths of the two world wars, the Algerian and Indochina wars, decorated by the painter Camille Godet from his war sketches. Inaugurated in 1922, this room symbolizes local memory.

The building, classified as Historical Monument in stages (registration in 1940, partial rankings in 1962 and 1963), has had various uses: the north wing once housed the presidial and then the civil court until 1855, while the south wing now hosts meetings of the city council, marriages and official receptions. The clock tower, in retreat, dominates a niche that once housed a statue of Louis XV, destroyed during the Revolution. It was replaced in 1932 by a sculpture by Jean Boucher representing the Union de la Bretagne à la France, itself destroyed in the same year in an attack claimed by the Gwenn ha Du group.

The architecture of the city hall combines classicism and political symbols. The south wing vestibule, decorated with pink marble columns, contrasts with the "Pantheon Rennes", a sober space dedicated to the memory of conflicts. The façades, classified in 1962, illustrate the influence of Jacques V Gabriel, while the interiors of the 20th century reflect modern administrative needs. The building, owned by the municipality, remains a central place in Rennes life, combining historical heritage and contemporary municipal functions.

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