The Hôtel de Klinglin, currently known as the Hôtel du Préfet, is a historic building located near

Place Broglie Place Broglie (''Bröjel'' in Alsatian German) is one of the main squares of the city of Strasbourg in the French departement of Bas-Rhin. The square is located on the Grande Île, the ancient city center, and has an elongated rectangular s ...

on the Grande Île in the city center of Strasbourg, in the French department of the

Bas-Rhin Bas-Rhin (; Alsatian: ''Unterelsàss'', ' or '; traditional german: links=no, Niederrhein; en, Lower Rhine) is a department in Alsace which is a part of the Grand Est super-region of France. The name means 'Lower Rhine', referring to its low ...

. It has been classified as a Monument historique since 1970. The Hôtel de Klinglin currently serves as the residence of the

prefect Prefect (from the Latin ''praefectus'', substantive adjectival form of ''praeficere'': "put in front", meaning in charge) is a magisterial title of varying definition, but essentially refers to the leader of an administrative area. A prefect's ...

of the department of Bas-Rhin. It should not be confused with the on the

Place de la République The Place de la République (known as the Place du Château d'Eau until 1879) is a square in Paris, located on the border between the 3rd, 10th and 11th arrondissements. The square has an area of .Warner, p. 250 Named after the First, Second an ...

, which houses the administrative functions of the prefect.

History

This grand

hôtel particulier An ''hôtel particulier'' () is a grand townhouse, comparable to the British townhouse or mansion. Whereas an ordinary ''maison'' (house) was built as part of a row, sharing party walls with the houses on either side and directly fronting on a s ...

, of a different design than most in Strasbourg (featuring a straight and a crescent-shaped façade instead of two straight ones), was built between 1732 and 1736 for the royal

moneylender In finance, a loan is the lending of money by one or more individuals, organizations, or other entities to other individuals, organizations, etc. The recipient (i.e., the borrower) incurs a debt and is usually liable to pay interest on that d ...

(''prêteur royal'') François-Joseph de Klinglin (1686–1753). The architects were Jean-Pierre Pflug and Joseph Massol. After Klinglin's disgrace and imprisonment in 1752, the hôtel became the seat of the royal Intendancy of Alsace, which it remained until the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...

. Between 1789 and 1799, it was used as the seat of the ''Directoire du district'' and since 1800, it has served as the residency of the prefect of Bas-Rhin, with two intervals: between 1871 and 1918, it housed the ''Statthalter'' (

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

) of Alsace-Lorraine and between 1940 and 1944, the ''

Gauleiter A ''Gauleiter'' () was a regional leader of the Nazi Party (NSDAP) who served as the head of a '' Gau'' or '' Reichsgau''. ''Gauleiter'' was the third-highest rank in the Nazi political leadership, subordinate only to '' Reichsleiter'' and to ...

''. During the

Siege of Strasbourg The siege of Strasbourg took place during the Franco-Prussian War, and resulted in the French surrender of the fortress on 28 September 1870. After the German victory at Wörth, troops from the Grand Duchy of Baden under Prussian General Aug ...

in 1870, the hôtel was heavily damaged by

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an ...

n artillery: the exterior walls withstood but the roof collapsed and almost all the interiors were destroyed. It was rapidly rebuilt and refurnished using as much original material as possible; only the shape of the

roof A roof ( : roofs or rooves) is the top covering of a building, including all materials and constructions necessary to support it on the walls of the building or on uprights, providing protection against rain, snow, sunlight, extremes of te ...

was modified and a balcony added. The architect responsible for the reconstruction was , who also faithfully rebuilt the

opera house An opera house is a theatre building used for performances of opera. It usually includes a stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, and backstage facilities for costumes and building sets. While some venues are constructed specifically fo ...

nearby. The Hôtel du préfet is not open for tourists apart on special days such as

European Heritage Days European Heritage Days (EHD) is a joint action of the Council of Europe and the European Commission involving all 50 signatory states of the European Cultural Convention under the motto, ''Europe: a common heritage''. The annual programme offers o ...

Gallery

Hôtel de Klinglin - Lithographie de Joseph Wencker.jpg, The hôtel seen in 1870, after the shelling by Prussian troops Strasbourg hotKlinglin46.JPG,

Pediment Pediments are gables, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the lintel, or entablature, if supported by columns. Pediments can contain an overdoor and are usually topped by hood moulds. A pedim ...

of the riverside façade Strasbourg Ancien Hôtel Klinglin dit Petit Broglie cour d'honneur juin 2013.jpg, Courtyard Strasbourg hotKlinglin01.JPG, Main portal on ''Rue brûlée'' (detail), added in 1747 by Joseph Massol. Strasbourg hotKlinglin25.jpg, A reception room Hôtel du préfet, Strasbourg (7710130342).jpg, Former ball room, now ''salle

Louise Weiss Louise or Luise may refer to: * Louise (given name) Arts Songs * "Louise" (Bonnie Tyler song), 2005 * "Louise" (The Human League song), 1984 * "Louise" (Jett Rebel song), 2013 * "Louise" (Maurice Chevalier song), 1929 *"Louise", by Clan of ...

'' Strasbourg hotKlinglin20.jpg, Upper floor of the grand staircase

References

External links

*
''Hôtel du préfet - 2 place du Petit Broglie''
on archi-wiki.org

Literature

*Recht, Roland; Foessel, Georges; Klein, Jean-Pierre: ''Connaître Strasbourg'', 1988, , pages 121–124

History

Gallery

References

External links

Literature

See also