More than a hundred people gathered in the heart of Limoges, a small city in central France, on Sunday afternoon to gaze in shock at what remained of their city hall after a fire largely destroyed the building the night before.
Apart from the building's gray stone walls, erected in the late 19th century, and a few broken windows, not much remained. Not the roof, not the clock on the facade, not even the metal bell tower that once loomed over the building.
"All we have left are pictures," said Gilles Peignelin, 64, who was staring at the ruin alongside his wife, Sylvie, 61. They married in the building 35 years ago, they said, recalling its grand staircase and painting collection. Now, that staircase seemed to have collapsed, Mr. Peignelin noted, pointing through a shattered window.
The damage at Limoges was among the most serious and surprising stemming from the nationwide unrest that swept across France yesterday, as huge anti-government marches gave way to rioting. Some 2,000 people were arrested nationwide as rioters attacked government buildings and roughly 1,500 shops.
Source: New York Times Top Stories · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing