L'hôtel de ville
La Garde-Freinet Historic site and monument
The impressive new town-hall was inaugurated in 1857.
All year round, daily.
With its decoration made of serpentine stone (green rock used as building stone) it is the symbol of the new and prosperous town. The sale of chestnuts, the silkworm breeding and, above all, the cork industry set up the basis of the economic activity which nearly tripled the population during the 19th Century.
The town-hall opens on a large public square (which used to be the ancient cemetery) and is situated near the main road linking Le Luc to Grimaud. The new location solved various security problems that arose in the old town hall during the riots of 1851. As often at these times, the building housed a public school for boys and girls and an apartment for the teacher. A memorial of the French revolution was set up at the centenary in 1889. As in many French towns, the emblem of this commemoration is a beautiful woman known as the "Marianne".