Town Hall - Charleville-Mézières

This is the town hall of the former commune of Mézières , opposite the prefecture of the Ardennes. It should not be confused with the town hall of Charleville on the Place Ducale , where the current town hall is located.

It was built in the 17th century, but after the bombings of November 1918, 50% of the city was destroyed. Therefore, a new town hall was rebuilt in 1923.

The facade of this building, with remarkable architecture, contains elements from the Middle Ages, Renaissance and Baroque. The roof, crowned with a crest, is also decorated with high ornate dormers and pinnacles , historical references to the model of town halls. The central bay is crowned by a pediment with stairs and pinnacles supporting a clock and three figures sculpted in bas-relief, allegories of liberty, equality and fraternity. The building is framed by two square towers topped with arrows. On the roof, a statue of Bayard recalls the resistance of Mézières to the siege of Charles V.

The interior of the town hall reveals a neo-baroque decoration.

The building was inaugurated on 16 July 1933. In 1966, the municipality of Charleville-Mézières was created by merging several municipalities. The town hall of Mézières thus became the town hall of Charleville-Mézières.

Place de l'Hôtel de Ville was completely renovated and modernised between 2018 and 20204. The facade of the town hall has also been renovated.

The name "town hall" is historical. Today the building serves as an annex of the town hall and houses a number of municipal services.

Willem Vandenameele