The Hôtel de Klinglin, currently known as the Hôtel du Préfet, is a historic building located near
Place Broglie 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 of the department of Bas-Rhin. It should not be confused with the on the
Place de la République, 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 de ...
(''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
An intendant (; pt, intendente ; es, intendente ) was, and sometimes still is, a public official, especially in France, Spain, Portugal, and Latin America. The intendancy system was a centralizing administrative system developed in France. In ...
of Alsace, which it remained until the French Revolution. 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) of Alsace-Lorraine and between 1940 and 1944, the '' Gauleiter''.
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 A ...
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 was modified and a balcony added. The architect responsible for the reconstruction was , who also faithfully rebuilt the opera house 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 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
A ballroom or ballhall is a large room inside a building, the primary purpose of which is holding large formal parties called balls. Traditionally, most balls were held in private residences; many mansions and palaces, especially historic ma ...
, 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
See also
* Palais Rohan
* Hôtel de Hanau
* Hôtel des Deux-Ponts
* Hôtel du grand doyenné
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hotel de Klinglin
18th-century architecture
Monuments historiques of Strasbourg
Buildings and structures completed in 1736
Baroque buildings in France
Hôtels particuliers in Strasbourg
1736 establishments in Europe