Place de l'Hôtel de Ville

The Town Hall Square

The Honfleur audio-guided tour leads you to the Town Hall Square, in the heart of the Enclos district, a witness of numerous episodes of the city's history.

From the parade ground to the town hall

Before housing the town hall in the nineteenth century, the square was called the parade ground and was the scene of striking scenes. In 1360, the King of England Edward III came there in the midst of the Hundred Years' War; in 1562, Calvinist troops bivouacked there at the start of the wars of religion. Henry IV made a triumphal entry there in 1603. During the Revolution, the square became a civic place: a funeral service was organised in memory of Mirabeau in 1791, the national guard inaugurated the tricolour flag there, and a tree of Liberty was planted there in 1848. The present town hall, sober and monumental, was built between 1832 and 1837. Each Whit Monday, it is still from here that the procession of sailors sets off towards Notre-Dame-de-Grâce.

What there is to see

The Town Hall Square charms with its peaceful atmosphere and its fine nineteenth-century building, in the heart of the Enclos district. Laden with memories, from the kings of England to the revolutionary festivities, it remains a gathering place and the starting point of the traditional procession of sailors. It is a historic stage in the heart of Honfleur.

Practical information

The Town Hall Square is in the Enclos district, in the heart of Honfleur. An open-air public square, it can be walked freely at all hours and on the level.

What was the square called before the town hall?

The parade ground; it saw Edward III in 1360, Henry IV in 1603 and many revolutionary episodes.

When was the present town hall built?

Between 1832 and 1837, in a sober and monumental style.