Fire Destroys Limoges Hôtel de Ville, a 1883 Historic Monument, During French Protests
On Saturday, 17 October, during a protest by students and gilets jaunes against rising living costs and fuel prices, the Hôtel de ville in Limoges, a neo-Renaissance structure recognized as a Monument historique since 1975, was set on fire. The prefect of Haute-Vienne reported that the building has suffered extensive damage, with the roof collapsed, the clock tower fallen, and several rooms rendered unusable. Prefect and mayor Guillaume Guérin described the incident as "a catastrophe for the heritage" and labeled it a willful act of vandalism. Designed by Charles-Alfred Leclerc and inaugurated on 14 July 1883, the building is adorned with Venetian mosaics and statues. The extent of damage to the artworks is currently being evaluated. Notably, it served as the Belgian government’s exile location in 1940 and was a Resistance center during the German occupation.
Fatti principali
- Limoges Hôtel de Ville was set on fire on Saturday 17 October during protests by students and gilets jaunes against the cost of living and fuel prices
- The prefect of Haute-Vienne said the building is largely destroyed, with roof collapse except the west wing, loss of much of the facade and collapse of the clock tower
- The building was inaugurated on 14 July 1883, designed by architect Charles-Alfred Leclerc in neo-Renaissance style modelled on the Paris city hall
- It has been listed among French Monuments historiques since 1975
- The 43-metre clock tower had a metal frame clad in zinc with slate roofing
- Mayor Guillaume Guérin called the fire a deliberate act of vandalism and a catastrophe for heritage
- Decorative elements included Venetian mosaic medallions by Giandomenico Facchina and statues by Tony Noël
- In 1940 the building hosted the Belgian government in exile after King Leopold III's surrender
Entità
Artisti
- Charles-Alfred Leclerc
- Guillaume Guérin
- Alfred Fournier
- Giandomenico Facchina
- Tony Noël
- Charles Genuys
- Henri-Paul Motte
- Léon Betoulle
- Leopold III
- Jacques Chirac
- Thierry Laporte
- Jean-Joseph Weerts
- Urbain Bourgeois
- Tony Desjardins
- Maurice Barate
- Stéphane Bern
- Adolphe-Martial Thabard
- Giovanni Lista
- Emma Boutier
- Marion Krauze
- Jean-Christophe Castelain
- Leonard Limosin
- Henri François d'Aguesseau
- Pierre Victurnien Vergniaud
- Jean-Baptiste, Count Jourdan
- Maurice de Sully
- Pope Alexander III
- Francoise Faurie
- Gilles Peignelin
- Christian Thorsberg
- Muriel Laskar
- Sergey Dzyuba
Istituzioni
- Ville de Limoges
- Artribune
- Hôtel de ville de Limoges
- Hôtel de ville de Marseille
- Office de tourisme de Lyon
- Mission patrimoine
- Nouveau Parti anticapitaliste
- Le Monde
- La Tribune de l'art
- Beaux Arts
- Mairie de Limoges
- Le Journal des Arts
- Getty Images
- MC2 Grenoble
- chambre régionale des comptes
- Ministère de la Culture
- Limoges City Hall
- Notre-Dame Cathedral
- Agence France-Presse
- The New York Times
- Reuters
- The Telegraph
- Smithsonian Magazine
- Limoges Town Hall
- BBC
- Sky News
- Dezeen
- Shutterstock
- The Guardian
Luoghi
- Limoges
- France
- Haute-Vienne
- Nouvelle-Aquitaine
- Paris
- Place Léon Betoulle
- Place Jacques Chirac
- Belgium
- Lyon
- Marseille
- Place Bellecour
- Notre-Dame de Paris
- Limousin
- Poitou
- Grenoble
- États-Unis