Built in 1863-1866 by A. Manuel, the Hôtel du Département is in the style of a handsome Eighteenth Century hotel, with courtyard and garden. Its interior decoration is nonetheless very typical of the eclecticism of the Second Empire.
When barely finished, the Hôtel de la Préfecture was occupied by the King of Prussia during the war of 1870. Right after the king's imperial coronation in the Hall of Mirrors and the withdrawal of the German troops, the hotel housed the head of the French provisional government, Adolphe Thiers, who was fleeing Paris, set ablaze by the Commune.
It was not until 1879, after the government's return to Paris, that the hotel was restored to its primary purpose.
It was not until 1879, after the government's return to Paris, that the hotel was restored to its primary purpose.
