Hôtel de Hanau


The Hôtel de Hanau, also known as the Hôtel de ville and as the Hanauer Hof, is a historic building located on Place Broglie on the Grande Île in the city center of Strasbourg, in the French department of the Bas-Rhin. It has been classified as a Monument historique since 1921.

History

The Hôtel de Hanau stands on a site originally owned by the rulers of Hanau-Lichtenberg, a county of the Holy Roman Empire. The current building, a typical hôtel particulier with a grand portal, a grand courtyard and two ornate façades, was commissioned by Johann Reinhard III, the last Count of Hanau-Lichtenberg, in 1728. It was constructed between 1731 and 1736 by Joseph Massol, who was also the executive architect of Palais Rohan at roughly the same time. It became state-owned in 1790 in the wake of the French Revolution.
Today the building is the Hôtel de ville or city hall for the city of Strasbourg, a role it has had since 1805 and the first visit of Napoleon, who bestowed propriety of the hôtel to the city. It is now principally used for weddings, official receptions and banquets, whilst the administration of the city and the Strasbourg Eurométropole is run from the centre administratif near :fr:Parc de l'Étoile|Parc de l'Étoile. The city hall is not open for tourists apart on special days such as European Heritage Days.

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