Old Town Hall

The Former Town Hall, in Laon

The Former Town Hall of Laon is now represented only by a medieval porch, a vestige of the building of the past. The Laon audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this discreet witness of the municipal history of the town, to be discovered along the streets.

The porch, last vestige of the old town hall

The old porch that you notice here is all that remains of the former town hall of Laon. As in many medieval towns, the town had endowed itself, over the centuries, with a communal building that sheltered the administration of the town and symbolised the municipal liberties. Laon had moreover a particularly notable history in this matter: from the twelfth century, its inhabitants revolted to obtain a commune, that is to say the right to administer themselves, in a famous and violent movement that makes of Laon one of the high places of the history of the communes in France. The former town hall was the seat of this municipal life. Of this building survives today only this porch, a discreet but memory-laden vestige, a witness of the long past of the town and its institutions. It recalls the importance that Laon had as an urban and political centre in the Middle Ages. A vestige of the municipal history, the Former Town Hall is an interesting stop of the discovery of Laon.

What to see

Here you discover the medieval porch, last vestige of the former town hall of Laon, which formerly sheltered the administration of the town and symbolised its municipal liberties; it recalls the notable history of the commune of Laon, whose inhabitants revolted from the twelfth century to obtain the right to administer themselves. The Former Town Hall is a witness of the history of Laon. It is a stop to be discovered, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The Former Town Hall, of which the porch survives, lies in the upper town of Laon, reachable on foot. It is an open-air vestige, freely visible from the street. You discover it during a walk in the historic city.

What remains of the Former Town Hall of Laon?

There remains only a medieval porch, last vestige of the building that formerly sheltered the administration of the town and symbolised its municipal liberties; it recalls the notable history of the commune of Laon, whose inhabitants revolted from the twelfth century to administer themselves.

Where is the Former Town Hall of Laon?

In the upper town of Laon, in France.