The fire at Lille town hall

On 23 April 1916, a fire broke out in Lille town hall. The building, which incorporated vestiges of the Rihour Palace built by the Dukes of Burgundy, was for the most part constructed in the first half of the nineteenth century. It had fallen into disrepair. The origin of the fire is not known, but it was probably an electrical short circuit. The building was destroyed in spite of the efforts of fire-fighters with the active assistance of German soldiers.
The fire was the cause of great trauma among the population. Although unrelated to the battles and the German occupation, it was closely associated with the horrors of war. The decision not to rebuild it and to attach the memorial to the dead to what remained of the Rihour Palace made it the very symbol of the destruction and suffering of the town.