Hotel de Ville (City Hall), Marseille

Town Hall in Marseille

Marseille-Hotel De Ville
CC BY-SA 4.0 / Bjs

The Hotel de Ville in Marseille is not an accommodation facility but the city’s town hall. Constructed in 1656, it has served as the civic heart of Marseille since its completion, taking over from the “Maison de Ville,” which had fulfilled this role since the 13th century.

This building is made of pink stone and designed in the Genoan Baroque style, situated along the waterfront of Marseille’s Old Port. Its elaborate facade, crafted by Gaspard Puget, features a rich array of sculptures and flags.

The city’s seal, crafted by Pierre Puget—who was Gaspard’s brother and a favored artist of Louis XIV—adorns the main entrance. A bust of Louis XIV is prominently displayed above the entrance, symbolically overseeing the bustling harbor and street below.

Despite not making it through the 18th century, the kings are long gone, but the Hotel de Ville stands resilient, having withstood various governments, multiple French revolutions, and even World War II.

Locally known as “La Loge” due to its Baroque architectural style, derived from the Italian “Loggia,” the building features a bridge at the rear that connects its two primary levels. Historically, the building’s floors were separated in the 18th century to distinguish between the nobility on the upper level and the merchants on the lower level. Today, the bridge symbolically reunites these social classes, marking a stride towards progress.

The Hotel de Ville (City Hall), Marseille appears in our Complete Guide to Visiting Marseille!

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Visiting Hotel de Ville (City Hall), Marseille

Hours:

It can not be visited, except for official business.


Address: Ville de Marseille, Place Villeneuve-Bargemon, Marseille, France
Duration: 20 minutes

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