Lucien de Gracia Square

The Place Lucien de Gracia, in Arcachon

The Place Lucien de Gracia is the administrative and historic heart of Arcachon, dominated by the elegant town hall. The Arcachon audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this central place and its fine Second Empire building, one of the finest testimonies of this architecture in the Gironde.

The square of the town hall

The Place Lucien de Gracia is the administrative and historic heart of Arcachon. There you are in front of one of the finest testimonies of the architecture of the Second Empire in the Gironde: the elegant town hall of the town. Built in the nineteenth century, at the time when Arcachon, become an independent commune in 1857 by the will of Napoleon III, was experiencing its full seaside rise, this building embodies the pomp and the optimism of this period. The Second Empire was indeed a great era for Arcachon, whose development was intimately linked to the Pereire brothers and to the imperial court, who contributed to making of the modest locality a prestigious resort. The town hall, with its careful façade and its official appearance, shelters the municipal administration and symbolises the identity of the town. The square that surrounds it, lively and central, is a place of meeting and passage in the heart of the town. A central square and a witness of the Second Empire, the Place Lucien de Gracia is a fine stop of the discovery of Arcachon.

What to see

Here you discover the administrative and historic heart of Arcachon, dominated by the elegant town hall, one of the finest testimonies of the architecture of the Second Empire in the Gironde, built in the nineteenth century when the town, become a commune in 1857 under Napoleon III, was experiencing its seaside rise, sheltering the municipal administration. The Place Lucien de Gracia is a heart of Arcachon. It is a fine stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The Place Lucien de Gracia lies in the heart of Arcachon, reachable on foot. It is a freely accessible public space; the town hall is an official building whose access follows its own conditions. The square is lively and central. You discover it during a walk in the town.

What is on the Place Lucien de Gracia in Arcachon?

The elegant town hall of Arcachon, one of the finest testimonies of the architecture of the Second Empire in the Gironde, built in the nineteenth century when the town, become a commune in 1857 under Napoleon III, was experiencing its seaside rise; this square is the administrative and historic heart of the town.

Where is the Place Lucien de Gracia in Arcachon?

In the heart of Arcachon, in France.