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Origin and history

The Rohan Palace in Bordeaux was built between 1771 and 1784 for Archbishop Ferdinand-Maximilien-Mériadec of Rohan-Guéméné, on the initial plans of engineer Joseph Étienne, then completed by architect Richard-François Bonfin. Funded by the sale of land and the revenues of the diocese, this neoclassical palace replaced the ancient medieval archdiocese adjacent to St Andrew's Cathedral. Its exorbitant cost (more than 2 million pounds) even forced the archbishop to commit his personal fortune. Interior decorations, such as the Louis XVI panelling or Berinzago's trompe-l'oeil paintings, reflect the fascist of the era.

After the Revolution, the palace became the seat of the Revolutionary Tribunal (1791), then the prefecture of Gironde in 1800 under Napoleon. It was transformed into an imperial palace in 1808 during the emperor's visit and later housed Louis XVIII (1815) and the Duchess of Angoulême (1823). In 1835, after an exchange with the state, he became the city hall of Bordeaux. Two fires (1862, 1870) altered its interiors, but the neoclassical structure, inspired by Victor Louis (architect of the Grand Théâtre), was preserved.

The garden, originally in French (1777), was redesigned in English in 1783, then transformed into a botanical garden during the Revolution. In 1880, architect Charles Burguet added two wings to house the Museum of Fine Arts. The palace, classified as a historic monument in 1997, preserves masterpieces such as Bonfin's honorary staircase or Cabirol's sculptures. Recent events, such as the 1996 attack (FLNC) or the fire of the cochère door in 2023 (related to demonstrations against pension reform), recall its central role in Bordeaux life.

The architecture, sober and monumental, mixes honorary courtyard with ionic colonnade and carved fronton facades (including the Calirol Liberality, the only remaining original bas-relief). Inside, the archbishop's dining room, decorated by Berinzago in 1783, would have inspired young Eugene Delacroix during his restoration in 1802. Today, the palace still houses the town hall, the Museum of Fine Arts, and a garden decorated with contemporary works, such as Strange Fruit (2019) evoking slavery.

Protected since 1997 (partial classification for facades and decorations on the ground floor), the Rohan Palace illustrates the political changes of France, from the Ancien Régime to the Third Republic. Its history also reflects social tensions, from lynchings symbolized by Strange Fruit to urban violence of 2023. The restoration in 2025 of its cochère door, rebuilt in the same way after the fire, bears witness to the Bordelais' attachment to this heritage.

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