Hôtel de Hanau

The Hôtel de Hanau, also known as the Hôtel de ville and (in German) as the Hanauer Hof, is a historic building located on Place Broglie on the Grande Île in the city center of Strasbourg, in the French department of the Bas-Rhin. It has been classified as a Monument historique since 1921.[1]

Hôtel de Hanau
Hanauer Hof
Place Broglie facade of the Hôtel de Hanau at dusk
Hôtel de Hanau in relation to the city of Strasbourg
Alternative namesHôtel de ville de Strasbourg
General information
TypeCivic
Architectural styleBaroque
LocationStrasbourg, France
Coordinates48°35′05″N 7°45′02″E
Construction started1731
Completed1736
Design and construction
ArchitectJoseph Massol

History

The Hôtel de Hanau stands on a site originally owned by the rulers of Hanau-Lichtenberg, a county of the Holy Roman Empire. The current building, a typical hôtel particulier with a grand portal, a grand courtyard and two ornate façades, was commissioned by Johann Reinhard III, the last Count of Hanau-Lichtenberg, in 1728. It was constructed between 1731 and 1736 by Joseph Massol, who was also the executive architect of Palais Rohan at roughly the same time. It became state-owned (bien public) in 1790 in the wake of the French Revolution.

Today the building is the Hôtel de ville or city hall for the city of Strasbourg, a role it has had since 1805 and the first visit of Napoleon, who bestowed propriety of the hôtel to the city.[2] It is now principally used for weddings, official receptions and banquets, whilst the administration of the city and the Strasbourg Eurométropole is run from the centre administratif (also known as mairie) near Parc de l'Étoile (built 1973-76). The city hall is not open for tourists apart on special days such as European Heritage Days.

References

  1. "Hôtel de ville, ancien Hôtel de Hanau". culture.gouv.fr. French Ministry of Culture. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
  2. "L'Hôtel de ville de Strasbourg" (PDF). media.strasbourg.eu. Retrieved 26 October 2015.

Literature

  • Recht, Roland; Foessel, Georges; Klein, Jean-Pierre: Connaître Strasbourg, 1988, ISBN 2-7032-0185-0, pages 116–119

See also

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