After the fire of 1720 had left the city in ruins, the king's architect, Jacques Gabriel, was commissioned to work on its reconstruction.
He proposed the grouping together in one single building of the 'Présidial' (law court) to the north, the Tour de l'Horloge (clock tower) in the centre, and the Hôtel de Ville (town hall) to the south.
The inwardly-curving central part of the ensemble, together with the alternating use of granite and tufa (a type of limestone) as building materials, makes this a particularly handsome building.
The offices of the mayor of Rennes and the chief executive, with their 18th century wood panelling, are on the first floor.
Rennes' "Big Ben".
Tour de l'Horloge (Clock Tower)
At the base of the clock tower is a large, empty recess, where a statute of Louis XV used to stand in majesty until the Revolution, when it was melted down. A statue by Jean Boucher of the Duchess Anne kneeling before Charles VIII was erected there in 1921, but one day in August, 1932, an explosion rocked the Place de la Mairie :
Will visit the city again,
Rennes
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