Hôtel de ville

In the late 19th century, faced with an expanding population that would soon outgrow the previous building (donated by Napoleon III), and the fact that it was located in the heart of the spa district, an area popular with developers, the decision was made to move the building slightly further away. Work began in 1913, under the direction of architect Antoine Chanet, but was interrupted by the First World War and put on hold until 1923. Although the new Town Hall was handed over in 1925, pending completion of the interior decor, the building was not inaugurated until 1928, a ceremony attended by the French Minister of the Interior, Albert Sarraut. In 1911, the year of the competition, Antoine Chanet had opted for the neo-Renaissance style, inspired by the Paris Hôtel de Ville, which was still in vogue throughout France. The building is easily identified by its bell tower which rises to an impressive 47 metres. The splendour of the exterior and interior decor bears witness to the town's growing prosperity provided by the spa industry, in addition to the magnificent symbols of the French Republic. Only the two magnificent Art Deco stained-glass windows illuminating the grand staircase, created by Limoges-based master glassmaker Francis Chigot in 1927, mark the building's date of completion.