The central square of Mulhouse is anchored by the Hôtel de Ville, a painted Renaissance town hall that looks like something out of Switzerland — which makes sense, since Mulhouse was an independent Swiss-affiliated city-state until 1798. The facade is covered in elaborate trompe-l'oeil paintings depicting classical architecture: pillars, arches, and balustrades that don't actually exist.
The square itself is the gathering place for the old town, with cafes on its edges and market activity on weekend mornings. The Temple Saint-Étienne, the main Protestant church, stands nearby. Mulhouse has been strongly Protestant since the Reformation, and the old town retains a somewhat austere, Swiss-German character compared to the more Catholic towns of the Alsace Wine Route.