The Hôtel des Deux-Ponts, formerly known as the Hôtel Gayot and currently as the Hôtel du gouverneur militaire, is a historic building located on

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 1921. The Hôtel des Deux-Ponts is currently used as the official residence of the

military governor A military government is generally any form of government that is administered by military forces, whether or not this government is legal under the laws of the jurisdiction at issue, and whether this government is formed by natives or by an occup ...

of Strasbourg.

History

The Hôtel was designed as a

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 ...

for the brothers, royal moneylenders François-Marie Gayot and Félix-Anne Gayot and built in 1754-55 featuring a courtyard, two ornate façades, a grand portal and a

French garden The French formal garden, also called the (), is a style of garden based on symmetry and the principle of imposing order on nature. Its epitome is generally considered to be the Gardens of Versailles designed during the 17th century by the ...

. In 1770, it was sold by François-Marie Gayot to

count palatine A count palatine (Latin ''comes palatinus''), also count of the palace or palsgrave (from German ''Pfalzgraf''), was originally an official attached to a royal or imperial palace or household and later a nobleman of a rank above that of an or ...

Christian IV of Zweibrücken ( = en, two bridges = ). Maximilian Joseph of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld, the future

King Maximilian I of Bavaria Maximilian I Joseph (german: Maximilian I. Joseph; 27 May 1756 – 13 October 1825) was Duke of Zweibrücken from 1795 to 1799, prince-elector of Bavaria (as Maximilian IV Joseph) from 1799 to 1806, then King of Bavaria (as Maximilian I Joseph) ...

lived there from 1770 until 1790. His son and successor on the Bavarian throne,

Ludwig I of Bavaria en, Louis Charles Augustus , image = Joseph Karl Stieler - King Ludwig I in his Coronation Robes - WGA21796.jpg , caption = Portrait by Joseph Stieler, 1825 , succession=King of Bavaria , reign = , coronation ...

, was born in this palace on 25 August 1786. The hôtel became state-owned (''bien public'') in the wake of 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 ...

in 1791 and has served as the official residence for military governors and chiefs of staff since, including during the periods when Strasbourg was a German town again (1871–1918 and 1940–1944). It 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

Strasbourg hotZweibrucken17.jpg, Panoramic view through the garden on Place Broglie Strasbourg-Hôtel des Deux-Ponts-Plaque.jpg, Plaque for Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria Strasbourg-Hôtel des Deux-Ponts (2).jpg, Main portal on ''Rue brûlée''. The courtyard right behind is rarely seen. Strasbourg hotZweibrucken06.jpg, Lower part of entrance hall Strasbourg hotZweibrucken05.jpg, Ceiling of entrance hall with a fresco by Joseph Melling (1785) Strasbourg hotZweibrucken12.jpg, A working and reception room

References

External links

*
''Hôtel du gouverneur militaire - place Broglie''
on archi-wiki.org

Literature

*Recht, Roland; Foessel, Georges; Klein, Jean-Pierre: ''Connaître Strasbourg'', 1988, , pages 119–120

History

Gallery

References

External links

Literature

See also