Hôtel de Ville

Paris City Hall has been the seat of municipal government since 1357 on what is now Place de l'Hotel de Ville. The original Renaissance building burned down in 1871 during the suppression of the Paris Commune, when the last Communards set it ablaze with petroleum. The current building was constructed between 1873 and 1892 as an enlarged reconstruction in Neo-Renaissance style, with 136 statues of famous Parisians on the facade, including Moliere, Voltaire and Lavoisier. The wide forecourt was a site of public executions under the Ancien Regime and is today a central gathering place, with an ice rink in winter and public viewing in summer. Interior visits are possible only on rare open days.