The Ancien Hôtel de Ville is Annecy's old town hall, an 18th-century building on Place Notre-Dame, right next to the church of Notre-Dame-de-Liesse. The town council met here until 1855, and the detail to look for is on its front steps: two wrought-iron staircases decorated with trout, the fish on Annecy's coat of arms.
The Ancien Hôtel de Ville at a glance
- Where: 14 Place Notre-Dame in the old town, to the left of the church of Notre-Dame-de-Liesse.
- Built: the present facade dates from around 1770, on the site of a medieval oratory; the ironwork of the staircases is dated 1771.
- What it is today: the parish house of the neighbouring Notre-Dame church; the town hall moved out in 1855.
- Time needed: 5–10 minutes, longer if you sit by the fountain on the square.
From hospital and council room to parish house
For centuries the building on this corner had two jobs. On the site of an older medieval oratory, it housed a hospital as well as the room where the town council met. In the 1770s the building was given its present facade and from then on was reserved for the town government alone. This was the period when Annecy belonged to the Kingdom of Sardinia, and the neat classical front reflects the taste of the time.
In 1855 the council moved to a new, larger town hall by the lake, opposite the Jardins de l'Europe, which is still the seat of the municipality today. The old building on Place Notre-Dame was then taken over by the parish of the church next door and became its presbytery. That is why the facade still looks like a public building while the life inside is that of a parish.
What to look for
- The trout: look closely at the wrought-iron railings of the two staircases; the fish worked into them is the trout from Annecy's coat of arms.
- The double staircase: the two flights rise to a small platform in front of the entrance, a formal approach typical of 18th-century public buildings.
- The pediment: the facade ends in a triangular pediment topped with fire pots.
- The date of the ironwork: the railings date from 1771, made just as the building took on its new role as town hall.
- Its neighbour: the church of Notre-Dame-de-Liesse right next door, with its bell tower from around 1530 and a neoclassical facade from the 19th century.
Ruskin and the ironwork
The English art critic John Ruskin, who wrote at length about craftsmanship and architecture, praised the quality of the ironwork here in the 19th century. It is easy to walk past without noticing, so stop at the foot of the steps and follow the curves of the railings up to the trout.
Tips for your visit
- Morning light falls nicely on the facade and the square is quieter before the shops open.
- The building is a parish house, so admire it from the square and keep the steps clear.
- Sit for a moment by the obelisk fountain on Place Notre-Dame, decorated with lions and turtles, and take in the church and the old town hall together.
Nearby
- Église Notre-Dame-de-Liesse: the church founded by the Counts of Geneva as their burial place, right next door.
- Palais de l'Île: the triangular former prison in the middle of the Thiou, a few minutes' walk.
- Hôtel de Ville: the 19th-century town hall by the lake that replaced this building, next to the Jardins de l'Europe.
See Annecy with World City Trail
Our Annecy scavenger hunt turns the old town into a game you play on your phone. The route links 10 stops and takes around 2 hours, with about 18 minutes of walking. The old town hall is one of the stops, along with the church of Notre-Dame-de-Liesse, the Palais de l'Île and the present Hôtel de Ville. You can play in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish and Dutch.
If you prefer a different format, there is also a self-guided walking tour and an outdoor escape game in Annecy.
Play the Annecy scavenger hunt →
Take the self-guided walking tour of Annecy →
Play the outdoor escape game in Annecy →
Facts checked in October 2026.