The town hall in Limoges, in central France, survived two world wars but not this weekend's vandalism following nationwide protests in France. The building was completed in 1883 and is listed as a building of cultural and historical value. Limoges prefect Maurice Barate says the fire damage to the building is a "cultural heritage disaster."
The roof collapsed onto the floors below, and by then two-thirds of the exterior was already gone, Maurice Barate told AFP on Sunday.
Seeing the town hall's tower and spire burn and collapse brought back memories of the fire at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris in 2019, when its iconic spire also collapsed, Françoise Faurie told Reuters.
"My heart broke. There's no reason to go through with it," he said of the destruction of the town hall.
“Couldn’t stop”
Local authorities have identified a group of young, masked people who overpowered the police, stormed the building and then set it on fire. Mayor Guillaume Guérin told Le Figaro that the town hall “fell” within ten minutes. He accused “professional urban guerrillas” of being behind the attack and said that the police officers at the scene “could not stop them in any way.”
The right to demonstrate in France is sacred, but vandalism is a misdemeanor, Guérin said, calling for the state to take control of the investigation.
19th-century pavilion burned down
One of the pavilions on Place Bellecour in central Lyon is another cultural and historical landmark that was largely destroyed.
Lyon Mayor Grégory Doucet told AFP that "the chaos that prevailed in the city for several hours was despicable."
The original military pavilion, built in 1852, was used as a guard post for a long time. Today, it houses a tourist office. The building was restored in 1945 and renovated in 2015.
The full cost of this weekend's looting and vandalism is still unclear, but according to the French government, at least 3,000 businesses have been affected.