Hôtel de ville de Verdun

This beautiful mansion was completed in 1623 for Nicolas Japin, who was in charge of powders for the French king Louis XIII. While the process of attaching Verdun to France began in 1552, it is one of the first visible elements of the French presence in Verdun. Bought by the commune of Verdun in the 18th century, it became the town hall. When the Prussians laid siege to Verdun in September 1792, Lieutenant Colonel Nicolas Joseph Beaurepaire of the Mayenne et Loire Battalion defended the town; a council meeting was held on September 1st, on the first floor of the town hall. Some representatives of the bourgeoisie and some soldiers were present. The surrender of Verdun was proposed by some, but categorically refused by Lieutenant Colonel Beaurepaire. Found inanimate in his office the next morning, we still do not know the conditions of his tragic death (murder? suicide?). Violated during the revolutionary troubles, the building was burnt down in the 1890s, and several years of restoration were necessary for it to regain its classical splendour in 1898. In 1916, the shells fell on its roof. They did not prevent the Verdun fire brigade from hiding in its basement. At the height of the Battle of Verdun, President Poincaré awarded the Legion of Honour to the town. A war museum adjoining the wedding hall on the first floor of the town hall preserves this decoration as well as the 25 other medals, both French and foreign, with which the town was honoured.