The Cercle Municipal or Cercle-Cité is a building in Luxembourg City, in southern Luxembourg, It is located at the eastern end of the Place d'Armes

Place d'Armes (Luxembourg)

The Place d'Armes is a square in Luxembourg City in the south of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Centrally placed in the old town, it attracts large numbers of locals and visitors, especially in the summer months...

, in the historic central Ville Haute

Ville Haute

Ville Haute is a quarter in central Luxembourg City, in southern Luxembourg.In 2001, the quarter had a population of 2,686 people.It is the historical center of Luxembourg City and is involved in its UNESCO World Heritage Site status....

 quarter

Quarters of Luxembourg City

The Quarters of Luxembourg City are the smallest administrative division for local government in Luxembourg City, the capital and largest city in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg....

 of the city.

History

On a site where there had previously been a building intended as a Cercle littéraire but which finally housed a restaurant by the name of Beim Gréitchen, the city decided to construct a grand administrative building. The design competition launched in 1902 was won in 1904 by Pierre and Paul Funck, a father and son team. The administration started to move into the neo-baroque

Neo-baroque

The Baroque Revival or Neo-baroque was an architectural style of the late 19th century. The term is used to describe architecture which displays important aspects of Baroque style, but is not of the Baroque period proper—i.e., the 17th and 18th centuries.Some examples of Neo-baroque architecture:*...

 building in 1909 but the official inauguration was in 1910. On the front, above the balcony, is a frieze

Frieze

thumb|267px|Frieze of the [[Tower of the Winds]], AthensIn architecture the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Doric order, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Even when neither columns nor pilasters are expressed, on an astylar wall it lies upon...

 depicting the granting of the city charter to Luxembourg City in 1244.

The building hosted the Court of Justice

European Court of Justice

The Court can sit in plenary session, as a Grand Chamber of 13 judges, or in chambers of three or five judges. Plenary sitting are now very rare, and the court mostly sits in chambers of three or five judges...

 of the European Coal and Steel Community

European Coal and Steel Community

The European Coal and Steel Community was a six-nation international organisation serving to unify Western Europe during the Cold War and create the foundation for the modern-day developments of the European Union...

, which was established in Luxembourg in 1952, until 1969. It was used as the venue of public hearings of the court until a more permanent venue could be found, whilst other work was conducted at the Villa Vauban

Villa Vauban

The Villa Vauban is an art museum in Luxembourg City. Recently renovated and extended, it exhibits 18th and 19th century paintings acquired from private collections.-Background:...

, in the Municipal Park

Municipal Park (Luxembourg City)

The Municipal Park is a public urban park in Luxembourg City, in southern Luxembourg. The eastern edge flanks the boulevard du Prince Henri and, along with the valleys of the Alzette and Pétrusse, forms a boundary that separates the central Ville Haute quarter from the rest of the city.This green...

.

Renovation and reopening

In 2006, comprehensive renovation and restoration work was carried out on the Cercle in order to transform it into a convention and exhibition centre. The work was completed in April 2011 providing not only enhancements to the Grande Salle and the Foyer but also to the cellar, which can now house exhibitions, and the former loft, now the fifth floor, where four rooms form a new conference centre. It took on the name Cercle-Cité after an adjacent building on the site of the former Ciné Cité was connected to the Cercle by means of a bridge over the Rue Genistre in order to expand the Cercle's facilities.