Because of its central and environmental situation, the 4th arrondissement of Paris witnessed a rich and turbulent history. Over the centuries, it has kept the traces of this past. Melting-pot of cultures, passions, knowledge and experiences, constant imbrication of populations at all levels of society are the wealth of the 4th arrondissement.
The city hall of Paris 4th arrondissement is located a few meters from Paris Town Hall, on the Place Baudoyer. It was built by the architect Antoine Nicolas Bailly, a former student of Félix Duban, who was one of the great figures of neo-classicism of Italian inspiration.
From the first years of his reign, Napoleon III, willing to establish a strong control over the capital, decided to create district councils entrusted to mayors appointed by the executive. He entrusted the in-depth reconstruction of the city to Baron Haussmann who, for other projects, had already surrounded himself with the best architects of the time, among whom Bailly, who had already participated in the rehabilitation of the Hôtel de Ville. Bailly was entrusted with the task of drawing up the plans of the ideal city council, which were supposed to inspire the following. Its style typical of the Second Empire was spared by the communards, and is still visible, especially in the Salle des Mariages, where the Council of Arrondissement takes place regularly. Moreover, the courtyard of the Town hall is relatively atypical, since it is accessed directly by the main entrance without entering the building. In April 2013, Christophe Girard inaugurated an orchard under the name of Private Laboureur, paying tribute to this republican figure while allowing the Parisians to invest the town hall and spend a pleasant moment there.