H么tel de Ville d'Aix-en-Provence (Town Hall), Aix-en-Provence
The Hotel de Ville, or Town Hall, is one of the most interesting historic locations in Aix-en-Provence, situated on the eponymous Town Hall Square (Place de l'Hotel-de-Ville). Renowned for its Italianate fa莽ade, carved wood front door, and inner courtyard, the current Town Hall is a rebuild of the original structure that once stood on the site until the middle of the 14th century.
The new Town Hall, comprising two levels and a ground floor, was built between 1655 and 1678 by the architect Pierre Pavillon assisted by the sculptors Jean-Claude Rambot and Jacques Fosse.
The Baroque-style fa莽ade, once richly decorated, was largely stripped of its ornamentation during the French Revolution of 1789. The resulting decorum features a handful of elements. Each floor, consisting of five windows, is separated by a frieze and is delimited by an entablature decorated with fruit garlands. The whole structure is flanked by two large buttresses that give it a rather monumental look. The ground floor frieze is decorated with triglyphs and rosettes, while that on the second floor is decorated with foliage snaking in opposite directions.
Inside the Salle des Etats de Provence, on the first floor, are the two series of paintings, including portraits of the counts of Provence and the kings of France on the one hand, and on the other, those illustrating the history of Aix and Provence.
The Town Hall building is also notable for the adjoining Clock Tower, built in 1510, which holds an astronomical clock dating from 1661. The base of the tower reveals ancient blocks of white limestone that probably originated from the former Roman gate of the city. Crowning the structure is a 16th-century wrought-iron cage with a bell. During medieval times, this bell was used to announce an exercise of Seigneurial rights, which obliged peasants to provide the landowner with seigneurial dues, paid either in cash, produce, or labor.
It is in this building the famous French painter, Paul C茅zanne, married the love of his life, Marie-Hortense Fiquet, in 1886. Fiquet appeared in 27 of Paul C茅zanne paintings.
The Town Hall of Aix-en-Provence was classified as a historical monument in 1995.
The new Town Hall, comprising two levels and a ground floor, was built between 1655 and 1678 by the architect Pierre Pavillon assisted by the sculptors Jean-Claude Rambot and Jacques Fosse.
The Baroque-style fa莽ade, once richly decorated, was largely stripped of its ornamentation during the French Revolution of 1789. The resulting decorum features a handful of elements. Each floor, consisting of five windows, is separated by a frieze and is delimited by an entablature decorated with fruit garlands. The whole structure is flanked by two large buttresses that give it a rather monumental look. The ground floor frieze is decorated with triglyphs and rosettes, while that on the second floor is decorated with foliage snaking in opposite directions.
Inside the Salle des Etats de Provence, on the first floor, are the two series of paintings, including portraits of the counts of Provence and the kings of France on the one hand, and on the other, those illustrating the history of Aix and Provence.
The Town Hall building is also notable for the adjoining Clock Tower, built in 1510, which holds an astronomical clock dating from 1661. The base of the tower reveals ancient blocks of white limestone that probably originated from the former Roman gate of the city. Crowning the structure is a 16th-century wrought-iron cage with a bell. During medieval times, this bell was used to announce an exercise of Seigneurial rights, which obliged peasants to provide the landowner with seigneurial dues, paid either in cash, produce, or labor.
It is in this building the famous French painter, Paul C茅zanne, married the love of his life, Marie-Hortense Fiquet, in 1886. Fiquet appeared in 27 of Paul C茅zanne paintings.
The Town Hall of Aix-en-Provence was classified as a historical monument in 1995.
Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Aix-en-Provence. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "51爆料网: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.
Download The 51爆料网 App
H么tel de Ville d'Aix-en-Provence (Town Hall) on Map
Sight Name: H么tel de Ville d'Aix-en-Provence (Town Hall)
Sight Location: Aix-en-Provence, France (See walking tours in Aix-en-Provence)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Sight Location: Aix-en-Provence, France (See walking tours in Aix-en-Provence)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Walking Tours in Aix-en-Provence, France
Create Your Own Walk in Aix-en-Provence
Creating your own self-guided walk in Aix-en-Provence is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
Aix-en-Provence Fountains and Squares Tour
Aix-end-Provence is known for its fountains. With more than 1,000 fountains, a tourist could spend weeks walking around the city without glimpsing them all. The fountains began appearing under the Roman empire when the Romans discovered Aix's natural thermal water source. They referred to the area as Aquae Sextiae or the Waters of Sextius.
The fountains appear throughout the city and are... view more
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.6 Km or 1 Miles
The fountains appear throughout the city and are... view more
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.6 Km or 1 Miles
Aix-en-Provence Introduction Walking Tour
Aix-en-Provence is a city in southern France, about 30 km (or 20 mi) north of Marseille. Aix was founded by Roman Consul Sextius Calvinus in 123 BC. Calvinus called it Aquae Sextiae, which means "Waters of Sextius," after the warm springs in the area. During the Middle Ages, it was the capital of Provence.
Aix reached a high point after the 12th century as it began to emerge as a... view more
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.7 Km or 1.1 Miles
Aix reached a high point after the 12th century as it began to emerge as a... view more
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.7 Km or 1.1 Miles
In the Footsteps of Paul C茅zanne
Paul Cezanne created a scandal. While staying at the home of Doctor Paul Gachet in Auvers-sur-Oise, he painted an homage to Edouard Manet's work, Olympia, based on Titian's Venus of Urbino. Titian painted a goddess. Manet painted a prostitute. In his "New Olympia," Cezanne painted himself in the painting.
The nude New Olympia, seemingly a muse, reclines on her couch.... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.0 Km or 1.9 Miles
The nude New Olympia, seemingly a muse, reclines on her couch.... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.0 Km or 1.9 Miles