Hotel de Ville
Do you know the Maison aux Piliers? Of course you do – it’s on the place de Greve! On this square, you can ice-skate in winter, watch top match events on big screens, and take part in free activities every summer when the banks of the Seine turn into Paris-Plages. Feeling lost?
Well, actually, that’s understandable. In the 12th century, the administration of Paris was entrusted to the corporation of water merchants, who controlled navigation on the Seine. Etienne Marcel, the provost of the merchants, transferred the seat of the municipality to the Maison aux Piliers – the current site of the Paris City Hall – in 1357. The square – then place de Greve – became a spot for popular merrymaking….and public punishment. Crowds congregated to withness all sorts of executions until 1830. Workers also used to wait here, giving rise in the 19th century to the expression “etre en greve” (to be on strike).
As for the Hotel de Ville (Paris City Hall), which replaced the Maison aux Piliers, it burnt down over eight days, in 1871, during the events of the Commune. Completed in 1882, the current building reflects the splendour of the 3rd Republic. A sumptuous interior boasts chandeliers, gliding and wood panelling, while the external neo-Renaissance facades are decorated with a profusion of niches and no less than 378 sculpted works.
