We were staying at Le Marais, on rue Saint Martin and rue Pernelle. Looked for a Post Office not wanting to place mail in a street box. We found out there is a small post office branch at the Place de l'Hotel de Ville, 75004, Paris. Being a stamp collector, I requested from one of the employees, a very nice lady, to postmark by hand several letters and postcards decorated with a variety of colorful French stamps. She took care of my request with a smile of her face on three different visits to that post office. I rate that post office branch 5 Stars! Of course, speaking French to her must have had a friendly impact... We also purchased recently issued French postage stamps: Notre Dame Treasures and La Fee Melusine, art postage stamps.

The third buildig on the site, Louis XVI and Charles de Gaulle are among the historic personalities to make speeches from the building. The size of the 19th c building is massive. You can tour the building by prior arrangement. The Olympic rings were in front of the building, the 2024 Summer Games in the offing.

The south wing of the building was originally constructed by François I in the 16th century. The north wing was later built by Henry IV and Louis XIII in the 17th century. The Hôtel de Ville had been the headquarters of the French Revolution, the headquarters of the Paris Commune. When defeat became imminent, the Communards set fire to the Hôtel de Ville, destroying the building and almost all of the city archives. Reconstruction of City Hall lasted from 1873 through 1892 (19 years). Today, the Hôtel de Ville is home to the official apartments of the mayor of Paris and functions as Paris' city hall. It stands on the Place de l'Hôtel-de-Ville. We had admired the beautiful building from the almost empty square as well as from the cruise on the river. The fountain section is covered and some type of upkeep is being done.