Hôtel de ville de Mulhouse

The Hotel de Ville de Mulhouse is a Renaissance town hall with pink-colored walls rising on the Place de la Reunion, covered with painted images showing Reformed religious virtues and shields of allied Swiss cities. Inside the building stands the city's Historical Museum, which displays exhibits about local history.

After a fire in 1551, Basel stone mason Michel Lynthumer oversaw the rebuilding of the structure, which was completed in 1552. This swift reconstruction in Renaissance style made the town hall a symbol of the city's recovery after the disaster.

The square's name, Place de la Reunion, reflects Mulhouse's joining with France in the 1600s, keeping this political turning point visible in the city center. Today visitors can sit on the square and see how the building and plaza together mark this significant moment in the city's story.

The building and museum are open to visitors during regular hours for those who wish to explore the interior spaces with their carved columns and stained glass windows. It is advisable to allow enough time to properly view both the architecture and the city history exhibits.

Attached to the building's exterior is the Klapperstein, a heavy stone that served as a medieval punishment device to publicly shame individuals. This surprising artifact reminds visitors of past forms of social control and shows how the architecture reflected the power structures of its time.