Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The former Laon Town Hall, located in the upper town, dates from the 2nd quarter of the 18th century. Built in 1736, it initially housed the municipal services, replacing the old house of the King's Plaids where the provost sat until 1702. The building became the seat of the aldermen and mayor until 1789, before being transformed into a Constitutional Circle in 1794. Today, it is a private property, but its classified porch, decorated with coats of arms and a medieval measure, bears witness to its past.

The monumental portal, built in limestone in 1736 by the mason Louis Maillefert and the sculptor Forest, is surmounted by a rounded pediment and a wooden gallery. Inside, a staircase with a ironwork ramp, rebuilt between 1702 and 1705 by the locksmith Jacques Leclerq, serves the floor. The work may date back to the Middle Ages, but the oldest visible parts date back to the sixteenth century. The building, sold as a national property after 1794, retains traces of its judicial and administrative use.

Ranked a historic monument in 1921 for its gate, the former Town Hall illustrates the evolution of municipal institutions in Laon. The coats of arms of France and Laon on the façade, as well as the engraved measures (aune, tau), recall its role in the commercial and symbolic regulation of the city. Its architecture blends medieval heritage, 18th century transformations and revolutionary reallocations, reflecting the political upheavals of the era.

Located at 35 Rue Sérurier, the building was originally accessible by Rue du Blocq. Its history is marked by major works at the beginning of the eighteenth century, including the reconstruction of the staircase and the addition of the portal. After the Revolution, he lost his municipal office to become a private place, while remaining an architectural witness to the local authorities under the Old Regime.

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