Paris - Hôtel de Ville

Paris, for long "a capital without a head", has since 1977 again been headed by a Mayor. His official residence is the Hôtel de Ville (Town Hall), to which the mayors' offices (mairies annexs) of the 20 arrondissements are answerable.

In the Middle Ages the city's chief administrator was the provost of the merchants (prévôt des marchands), head of Paris's corporation of merchant shippers, the Marchands de l'Eau, which belonged to the Hanseatic League.

The provost, who was directly responsible to the king, was a man of great influence: in 1358, for example, the provost of the merchants, Etienne Marcel, led the first (unsuccessful) revolt of the burghers against feudalism and the monarchy. In 1789 the last provost - who as a royal official represented the monarchy - was executed by the revolutionary mob.

After the French Revolution Paris had its own Mayor for only brief periods (1789-94, 1848, 1970- 71). For the rest of the time, until 1977, it was ruled by government officials, the Prefect of the Seine and the Prefect of Police.

The first Town Hall, built in the 14th century, was replaced by a new building in 1533. In the early 19th century this Renaissance building was extended in a faithful reproduction of the original style. In 1871 the Town Hall was burned down during the repression of the Commune, which had established its headquarters in the building, but was subsequently completely restored.

The present building, in neo-Renaissance style, dates largely from the time of the Third Republic. On the richly decorated facades are 136 statues and medallions of famous French artists, writers and thinkers, and on the clock tower is the city's patron goddess.

There are guided tours of the sunptuously appointed but somewhat over-ornate state apartments, which contain many historical relics and mementos. Notable among the works of art are Rodin's bronze bust of the Republic and the murals by Puvis de Chavannes.