Town hall of Wissembourg, town hall in Wissembourg, France
The Town Hall of Wissembourg is a Louis Quinze Baroque building in pink sandstone, its three storeys below the roof decreasing in height, the ground floor almost twice as tall as the first. A central avant-corps holds the main portal, a balcony and a pediment, crowned by a clock tower with a ridge turret; a sundial sits on the right of the facade, which is decorated with mascarons and reliefs.
The original town hall was destroyed in a devastating fire in 1677, prompting the city to commission a replacement beginning in 1741. Its completion in 1752 represented Wissembourg's recovery from this catastrophe and reinforced the city's civic continuity.
The façade inscriptions do not mention the 1677 fire: they read ANNO MDCCXLI (the year 1741) and REGNLUDXVEXANTIQUOCINERESURREXI, "under the reign of Louis XV, I resurrected from ancient ashes". The Latin line refers to the medieval town hall burned by French troops, but names no date. The original clock hands are kept in the Musée Westercamp.
The town hall faces the town's central square in the old centre of Wissembourg, a short walk from the station and the abbey church. The facade with its clock tower and inscriptions is best seen from the square itself; the sundial is on the right side of the facade. The building is a working city hall, so visitors view the exterior.
The clock's original hands are not on the tower: they belong to the collections of the municipal musée Westercamp. The façade also carries a sundial on its right side, often missed by visitors looking only at the central bay.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 93,663 contributors worldwide.
