Back in the 12th century, this square was a harbor or port called Place de Gréve and in 1357 the first municipal building of Paris was built here. It was replaced by the current Hôtel de Ville in 1628, burned during a revolt in 1871 and restored in 1892. This square and city hall have witnessed lots of history from five centuries of beheadings to Charles de Gaulle’s speech after the liberation of France in 1944. Its façade assumes a warm glow at sunset.
