Town hall of Paris 2nd arrondissement, Town hall in 2nd arrondissement, France

The town hall of the 2nd arrondissement stands at 8 rue de la Banque, a stone building with a light beige facade. Its ground level opens in three large round-arched bays, the centre one holding double wooden doors inscribed "MAIRIE DU 2e ARRONDISSEMENT", with "LIBERTE EGALITE FRATERNITE" carved above. A clock tower with a crenellated parapet rises over the central block; the middle level has five tall round-arched windows and the upper level a row of rectangular ones.

Architect Alphonse-François-Joseph Girard designed this building in 1848 as an administrative center. When Paris expanded in 1860, it transitioned from serving the 3rd arrondissement to its current role in the 2nd.

The wedding hall displays paintings by Georges Moreau de Tours and decorative elements by Charles-Gustave Huillard from the 1800s. These artworks surround couples during their civil ceremonies with symbols of French craftsmanship and ceremony.

The building is easy to locate on Rue de la Banque with its protected facade clearly visible. Visitors can explore the administrative areas, and the historic wedding hall may be accessible during certain times depending on official activities.

On 16 November 1943 the Gestapo arrested Jacques Bidaut, the town hall's secretary general, after a denunciation. He had supplied resistance groups with forged papers, ration tickets and blank official documents; he died at Neuengamme on 4 December 1944. A square at 18 rue de la Lune in the 2nd arrondissement bears his name.