Paris City Hall – Hôtel de Ville de Paris

(Last Update: 07.09.2024) Paris City Hall - Hôtel de Ville de Paris has been rising in the very center of the city with all its majesty for centuries, and has an important place in the memories of everyone who passes by, feeling like a privileged signature in the city view.

The Hôtel de Ville is a much larger building than the royal palaces in many countries I have visited.hotel beat) literally confused me a lot at the time: In the years when I didn't know about the f in FrenchNow, I remember with a smile the days when I used to see "Hôtel de Ville" signs everywhere, especially when I was visiting the small cities of France, as "look, there is definitely a city hotel in every city" :)

Later I learned that in French, "hôtel" actually means "dwelling/house"; Maybe we can also translate it as “mansion”. Hôtel de Ville, Hôtel de Police, Hôtel des Invalides etc; All of them are used in the sense of the residence of the institution they refer to. "Hotel" as we know it is actually "hôtel de tourisme", but of course this usage is outdated.

There are actually many hôtel de villes in Paris and they are all connected to each other. boroughThe administrative center of 's, that is, the district center, such as the municipality buildings. The Hôtel de Ville de Paris that I mentioned in this article is “Paris Metropolitan Municipality Administration CenterIt can be translated as ".

Anyway, let me try to write something about the Paris City Hall - Hôtel de Ville, without dwelling on the origin of these words.

In the very center of Paris, 4th. boroughThis magnificent building located in Seine RiverIt extends parallel to and runs east-west Louvre Museum Bastille Square in the north-south direction, on the line between Notre Dame Cathedral ve Marais District is among.

Firstly 1357Paris City Hall, built in , was in its final form after experiencing many fires and destruction throughout history and undergoing many repairs. 1892Reunited in .

Adorned with hundreds of sculptures, reliefs and decorations, the building is one of the best examples of characteristic Parisian architecture with all its facades and roof forms. Believe me, you can't get enough of watching it.

Unfortunately, Hôtel de Ville is not open to visitors. Only in September every year Journées du Patrimoine – Cultural Heritage Days It is opened to visitors on a weekend, that is, for only two days. However, a small section on the "Rue de Rivoli" side of the building is open to visitors and free of charge as part of various exhibitions. Anyway, the first time I saw this was on September 21, 2014. Journées du Patrimoine – Cultural Heritage Days I had the chance to visit Hôtel de Ville at the event.

My second visit was much more interesting: While the best blogs in France were competing, I was the only Turkish blog participating in this competition. For being among the top 50 blogs in the Paris category Held on the night of November 10, 2015Golden Blog Awards"I was invited to the awards ceremony. On this occasion, I had the chance to see both a real cocktail atmosphere and the night interior of this magnificent building.

The French know protocol very well. This is one of the fundamentals of a deep-rooted state tradition surviving to the present day and being a "great state". Likewise, they are fond of entertainment and pleasure. I cannot express the joy of the atmosphere I experienced that evening in the magnificent halls of the Hôtel de Ville.

Especially on the projector in the big hall. a tweet I sentSeeing was one of the most unforgettable moments. Of course, all this happened thanks to your votes and support; Thank you again.

Everyone visiting Paris will definitely pass through here. The interior of this exquisite building, which looks majestic enough from the outside, is equally impressive; In fact, I can say that it affected me much more than I expected. Palace of Versaillesof puppy The interior of the building in view Opera GarnierIt is so impressively decorated that it triples the magnificence of the foyer of . You can feel in your bones what the word "palace" means in the definition of "City Hall".

The building has a special meaning in terms of its architectural, aesthetic and historical importance as well as being the place where Paris is governed. Since I now feel more like a Parisian, visiting the inside of this building gave me another pleasure to know that the traces of every decision taken regarding the city were engraved on these walls.

If you think about it, there is no distinction between Municipality and Governorship in city administrations in France, as in ours, the city is governed by a single authority and the administrator is elected by the people. The elected Mayor and City Council members also discuss the future of the city in this hall and make or reject decisions.

While visiting the Paris City Hall - Hôtel de Ville, these were not the only things that impressed me. As I walked through the corridors and went from room to room, thinking about both its visual and abstract meaning, I went up to the top floor and saw the magnificent library that appeared before me. I realized that the issue was not only about money, ostentation and luxury, but also that science, art, education and culture were also part of a city. In fact, I realized once again how important concepts are in preserving the cultural values ​​of a country.

The square where the town hall is located is today "Town Hall Square” and ”Esplanade de la Libération" but the old name of this square was "Place de Grève“, so as you can guess”Strike Square“… The origin of the word “Grève” means “waterside, beach” and in the past, a kind of “labour market” was established right where this square is located. Therefore, in that period, striking meant "being idle, looking for a job", and it was also used to mean leaving your current job and going to look for a job, and its current meaning emerged later. Also, this square Victor Hugofamous work of Notre Dame'ın Kamburuthe most beautiful in EmeraldThe place where he was executed…

One of the most beautiful corners of the Paris City Hall, which is such an impressive building and I think I could only visit a very small part of it, is the current one. Study room of Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgowas to see. When you look at the building from the square, the room in the right corner of the second floor is quite large, but unlike the other parts of the building, it is extremely simply furnished. The paintings on the walls are changed periodically to support contemporary artists. Living this moment was also a pleasant experience for me.

This square, now known as "Place de l'Hôtel de Ville", is lively no matter what season you come. I have rarely seen this square when there was no activity. In winter, an outdoor ice rink is usually set up; In important events such as the Olympics, a giant screen is installed and people lie on specially placed cushions, have a drink and watch the matches. summers Paris Plages – Paris Beaches It is sometimes organized for beach volleyball as part of the events. christmas time A fair is set up and it becomes very colorful. If there is no special event, someone is playing and singing something.

I don't need to specifically recommend you to go here, since it is located in the city center, it will definitely be on your way. Metro If you want to reach us, it is also very easy; M1 or M11 When you get off at the "Hôtel de Ville" station of the lines, Paris City Hall and this beautiful square will welcome you.

If you wish, let's walk around the halls of the City Hall together by watching the video I took while walking around the Hôtel de Ville:

Now, when you visit Paris City Hall – Hôtel de Ville, you will not only be impressed by the exterior of this building, but you will also know what it is like inside. Who knows, maybe you'll be lucky enough to come to Paris in September. Journées du Patrimoine – Cultural Heritage DaysYou can also visit Hôtel de Ville by using ?

If you want to see the places around Hôtel de Ville, you can also visit this square. Louvre Museum'What, Centre Pompidouto, Bastille Squareto the Marais District'What, Notre Dame Cathedral'What, Holy ChapelIt is possible to reach to and many other places on foot... And just below, Seine River exquisite walking track on the coast Rives de Seine ParkYou should not skip .

So what are you waiting for?

Pleasant trips, pleasant discoveries…

Address: Place de l'Hotel de Ville, 75004 Paris