POPEETE TOWN HALL

Inaugurated in 1990, the Papeete City Hall and its elevated square overlooking the former Chinatown form a vast complex of some 6,000^m2. Set on a finely cut lawn decorated with tropical plants, this recent building has little in common with modern architecture and even less in common with colonial art and traditional architecture. Pastel yellow walls with white colonnades on the balcony, red tile roof, small bell tower in the middle of the summit; the building would rather remind one of what one could find on Disneyland's Main Street (without the glitz and the ridiculousness): a simple building with bold and bright colors, realized with meticulousness and finesse by the architect Rodolphe Weinmann, and clearly evoking a princess castle. For good reason: it is directly inspired by the palace of Queen Pomare IV.

The city hall is a pleasant and clean place, almost luxurious: marble floors, chandeliers, finely chiseled grills ... Everything is not only functional, we also seek aesthetics. Inside, don't miss the city council room with its engraved glass paintings of the city's history, or its rococo elevator. Outside, the gardens have been embellished with a fare pote'e, water features and monumental sculptures nicknamed "the colossi of the Papeete City Hall gardens". As a result, the dance shows that are regularly given there become real enchantments. A beautiful visit in short!