Hôtel de Ville, Bayonne

The Hôtel de Ville (French pronunciation: [otɛl də vil], City Hall) is a municipal building in Bayonne, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, southwest France, standing on the Avenue du Maréchal Leclerc.

[6] The foundation stone for the new building was laid by the future government minister, Nicolas Martin du Nord, in the presence of the mayor, François Balasque, on 1 May 1837.

Above the cornice, surmounting the central section, there were six statues depicting (from left to right) navigation, industry, art, commerce, astronomy and agriculture.

Following a major fire on 31 December 1889, which destroyed the town hall archives on the top floor, repairs were undertaken to the roof, and the original stone statues were replaced by new cast iron statues sculpted by Léon Ougnot (for agriculture and navigation), Gustave Deloye (for art and commerce), and Jean-Ernest Boutellier (for industry and astronomy).

[3] In August 1944, after German troops had abandoned Bayonne during the latter stages of the Second World War, the baritone, Michel Dentz sang La Marseillaise from the town hall balcony to celebrate the liberation of the city.