Paris1972-Versailles2003

Always looking for my photos, I have to tell you is not an easy task when I have overlooked a lot of them and now trying to find them! I did came up with one on the Hôtel de Ville of Paris and will tell you a bit more on the Hôtel de Ville de Paris !!! Hope you enjoy it as I.

The Hôtel de Ville is located on the north by the rue de Rivoli, and the south by the Seine river, pont d’Arcole allows access to the Ïle de la Cité. The Place de l’Hôtel de Ville  (took current name in 1803) known at the beginning of the 13C as Place de Gréve (and the word did stuck to mean strikes) was renamed Place de la Maison Commune during the French revolution Today the Place de l’Hôtel de Ville is a pedestrian street since 1982. The Hôtel de Ville de Paris or city hall is the building that houses the municipal institutions of Paris.

The first hotel was built in 1357 by the Prévost of Merchants Etienne Marcel, It symbolized the municipal freedoms acquired against the power of King Charles V. It is located at  Place de l’Hotel-de-Ville, in the 4éme arrondissement or district of Paris. The Hôtel de Ville, was re built from 1873 to 1892, in Renaissance style, as itw as burned at the time of the Commune uprising in 1871 ; it was extensively decorated almost identically reproducing the old city hall building of 1553. In the 16C, king François I rebuilt the city hall in the Renaissance style. The central pediment is adorned with a clock accosted by the figures of Work and Instruction, the Seine and the Marne rivers ,lying down, and surmounted by the City of Paris symbol. The Place de l’Hôtel de Ville, known at the beginning of the 12C as Place de Grève (name now commonly call the famous French demonstrations or strikes), will be renamed Place de la Maison Commune during the French revolution. The Place de Gréve was renamed Place de l’Hôtel de Ville in 1803 and it is a pedestrian area since 1982.

A bit of the history I like tell is that the quai de l’Hotel-de-Ville , where bus line 72 passes, is a quay located along the Seine river, in the Saint Gervais and Saint Merri neighborhood or quartiers of the 4éme district or arrondissement of Paris The quai de l’Hotel-de-Ville, has a length of 535 meters and 24 to 32 meters of width , and begins at the Pont Marie and rue des Nonnains-d’Hyères and ends at the Place de l’Hotel-de-Ville – Esplanade de la Liberation. In 1254, it was a path that bordered the Seine. It was called the chemin aux Merrains, or rue aux Merrains, to the lumber merchants. From the 15C, the city laws or   acts designated it under the name of quai de la Grève, or quai de Grève. Gréve means strike on a level square, covered with gravel, on the river. Before the Place de Grève, today Place de l’Hotel-de-Ville – Esplanade de la Liberation, was raised and the quay was paved. The Quai de l’Hotel-de-Ville was created in 1867-1868 from the merger of the part of the Quai des Ormes located between the rue des Nonnains-d’Hyères and the rue Geoffroy-l’Asnier with the part of the quai de Gréves located between this last street and the Pont d’Arcole bridge. At the square you will find an equestrian statue of Etienne Marcel ,exactly at 94 quai de l’Hotel-de-Ville. This bronze statue of Etienne Marcel, provost of merchants from 1354 to 1358, inaugurated in 1888. Symbol of the revolt of the Parisian bourgeoisie against the monarchy, it is wearing a chaperone in the colors of red and blue of Paris, a rallying sign of his supporters. He brandished the parchment of the Great Order of the Reformed of 1357. Etienne Marcel was assassinated on July 31, 1358, near the Porte Sainte-Antoine.

As of today.  Since 1967, the expressway on left bank located on the old port forms a 13 km highway linking Saint-Cloud to Bercy (voie Georges Pompidou). Every summer, stands Paris-Plage or beach along the banks of the Seine. The Place de l’Hôtel de Ville served as a setting for parties organized by the city such as the Saint Jean (st John) fireworks festival on June 23 or to celebrate the births and marriages of the Royal family, but also was the place where the executions from 1310 to 1830 were held such as those of Ravaillac, La Brinvilliers, etc. Today, the Place de l’Hotel de Ville is a major attraction point for discovering the Marais and is still the favorite place for festive gatherings of all kinds.

The first Paris government was created around 1260,  managing the flow of merchandise in the Seine river and others in addition to taxing the commodities and citizen coming in.  Before the French revolution there was a prevost, four elderman, 36 advisors, and 16 chiefs of neighborhoods. After the French revolution, by october 19 1795 Paris becomes divided into 12 arrondissements or districts. February 17 1800 Napoleon I , eliminates the arrondissements. June 16 1859 the arrondissement come back, with the modifications such as the Chief of State names always the representatives of each district , a mayor and two assistants  chosen amongst the citizen the more influential for a period of 3 years .  After the creation of the department of Paris No 75 in July 10 1964 the city has a council where are represented the elected officials of each district but the city still has no mayor only a president of the council. On December 31 1975 after passage of a new law, the city finally has a Mayor of Paris so now it has a city and department as Paris no 75 in the region of Ile de France. In 1977 a mayor was elected by universal suffrage, Jacques Chirac, (see my post in his honor) who would later become president of the French Republic (France). The voters from the 20 districts (arrondissements) of Paris elect, in a two-round listed election, the borough councilors ,who will designate the borough mayors and then the mayor of Paris. The law of February 27 2002, given in to the democracy of proximity evoque to divide Paris for each 80K inhabitant into a quartier or neighborhood  so given birth to the Council of neighborhoods  that is taken from the council of districts. The election to the council of Paris numbering 517 is done by vote of each district to eventually elect the council of district elects the mayor of each district thereafter.  The voters of the 20 arrondissement/districts vote in two turns the counselors of each district Later, as of early 2020 ,it was created the Paris Centre with districts 1-4 so really only 17 arrondissements are today , even if for normal day lives and postal regulation the 20 are still in use.

The bus line 72 have taken a few times and took the picture while passing the Hôtel de Ville of Paris. (pic from bus passing).The line runs from the Parc de Saint-Cloud to the Gare de Lyon. It has nice bus connection with the line 82 at Pont d’Iéna , bus 85 at Châtelet and bus 96 at the Hôtel de Ville. The bus line 72 has stops in very popular places in Paris and is an ideal bus to take above ground to see more of the grandeur of Paris. The popular stops I can remark are at Pont d’Iéna, Pont de Bir-Hakeim, Palais de Tokyo, Alma-Marceau, Grand Palais, Concorde, Pont de Solférino, Pont Royal , Pont des Arts , Pont Neuf-Quai du Louvre, Palais-Royal, Pont Louis-Philippe ,Pont Marie, Pont d´Austerlitz, and the line start in Paris proper at Porte de Saint Cloud and ends at Gare de Lyon. The RATP line is shown here : https://www.ratp.fr/plans-lignes/busratp/72

It is a great way to see Paris when your legs are a bit tired of the wonderful walks, much prefer above ground, and see Paris more. Here if you wish but will tell you the bus ride is better , you can come in on metro line 1 and 11 going up the stairs you have sortie or exit no 5 to Hôtel de Ville or exit 2 Rue de Renard to Centre Georges Pompidou as most often taken here. I have it on line 1 but you can see all the lines here: https://www.ratp.fr/plans-lignes/metro/1

The official Hôtel de Ville of Paris: https://www.paris.fr/l-hotel-de-ville

The Paris tourist office on the Hôtel de Ville: https://parisjetaime.com/eng/culture/hotel-de-ville-de-paris-p1859

There you go folks, another dandy anecdote of beautiful Paris and my rounds around the city. As said ,tried all modes of transports, the best in the city is walking but if tired take the bus. Again, hope you enjoy this post on the Hôtel de Ville of Paris !!! as I.

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!