Strasbourg - Gheos Worldguide

Strasbourg

The oldest records of Strasbourg date from 12 BC, when the Roman camp of Argentoratum was mentioned. The camp was one of the ancient predecessors of Strasbourg. The area had already been populated since the Middle Paleolithic though. In 1681, Strasbourg became a French city. Between 1871 and 1918, it was part of Germany. Since the end of WWI it was French once again, except during WWII, when the Germans occupied it once again. As a result, Strasbourg has always been a cultural bridge between France and Germany.

Nowadays, Strasbourg sits on the border between the two countries and it is the official seat of the European Parliament. The historic Grande Île (Grand Island) is the center of the city. It was inscribed into the UNESCO list of world heritage sites in 1988. The district of Neustadt (New City) was constructed more recently. It became a world heritage site in 2017.

Points of interest

The area around the Strasbourg Cathedral is known for its medieval black and white timber-framed buildings. More of these buildings are located in the Gerberviertel (tanners' district) and in the Petite France district.
One of the most outstanding timber-framed buildings is the Maison Kammerzell. It was originally built in 1427, but later amended. It is located on the Place de la Cathédrale.
The monumental Ancienne Douane is the old custom-house. It was built in 1358 and enlarged in 1389.
The Neubau (New Building) used to be Strasbourg's town hall, but nowadays it houses the Chambre de commerce et d'industrie (chamber of commerce and industry). It is a Renaissance building in Place Gutenberg. Construction took place between 1582 and 1585.
The Hôtel d'Andlau-Klinglin is a Baroque palace that was built in 1725. Currently, it's the seat of the administration of the Port autonome de Strasbourg.
The Hôtel de Hanau is a palace from 1736. It currently houses Strasbourg's city hall.
The Hôtel de Klinglin also dates from 1736.
The Hôtel des Deux-Ponts was constructed in 1755 and serves as the residence of the military governor.
The Hôpital Civil (Public Hospital) was founded in 1119, but the extant structure was originally built around one of the gates that was originally part of the Strasbourg city walls. The gate is called the Porte de l'hôpital. The Hôpital Civil was destroyed by a fire in 1716 and rebuilt in the 1720s. It is the largest Baroque building in Strasbourg and one of the oldest medical establishments in France.
The Opera House was built in French Neo-classical style. It opened in 1821 and it is located in the Place Broglie.
The Palais Rohan was completed in 1742. It was used for university purposes from 1872 to 1895 and nowadays it houses the Archaeological Museum, the Museum of Decorative Arts and the Museum of Fine Arts.
The Pharmacie du Cerf is the oldest pharmacy in France. It was established in 1268 and it is located at the corner of the Place de la Cathédrale and the Rue Mercière. It has been destroyed by fire several times, but it was rebuilt. The last time in 1469.
The Strasbourg Grand Mosque is the largest Islamic place of worship in France.
The most notable medieval streets include:
- Grand' Rue
- Rue des Charpentiers
- Rue des Dentelles
- Rue des Frères
- Rue des Juifs
- Rue des Serruriers
- Rue des Tonneliers
- Rue du Bain aux Plantes
- Rue du Maroquin
- Rue Mercière is a short street that is a popular vantage point for the cathedral.
- Quai des Bateliers
- Quai Saint-Nicolas
- Quai Saint-Thomas
Notable medieval squares include:
- Place Benjamin Zix
- Place de la Cathédrale
- Place du Marché aux Cochons de Lait
- Place du Marché Gayot
- Place Saint-Étienne
The Place Kléber is the largest square in Strasbourg. It was named after Jean-Baptiste Kléber, who was a general in the French army. In the square is a statue of Kléber with a vault containing Klébers remains beneath it. On the northern side of the square is the Aubette (Orderly Room). It was built from 1765 to 1772.
Place Gutenberg features a statue of Gutenberg and a Carousel.
Along the Rue du Rempart are fortifications that date from the 1880s. They include the Kriegstor (war gate).

Neustadt

The Neustadt is a large German district. It is one of the world's few remaining districts of Wilhelmian architecture, as most of the German cities that featured building-style, where destroyed during WWII. It includes homogenous streets, boulevards and avenues, lined with high buildings.
The former imperial palace of Palais du Rhin epitomizes the grand scale and stylistic sturdiness of this building style. It dates from 1889.
The École internationale des Pontonniers is a high school that used to be the Höhere Mädchenschule (Girls' Highschool). it is an ornate building with towers, turrets and a multitude of round and square angles.
The Haute École des Arts du Rhin (Highschool of Rhine Arts) boasts a beautiful ornate façade of painted bricks, woodwork and majolica. The building dates from 1892.
Construction of the Art Nouveau Villa Schutzenberger started in 1897 and the building was completed in 1900. It is located in Allée de la Robertsau in the Neustadt.
Notable streets in Neustadt include:
- Avenue d'Alsace
- Avenue de la Forêt Noire
- Avenue de la Liberté
- Avenue de la Marseillaise
- Avenue des Vosges
- Boulevard de la Victoire
- Rue du Général de Castelnau
- Rue du Maréchal Foch
- Rue du Maréchal Joffre
- Rue Sellénick
Some of the most important squares in Neustadt include:
- Place Arnold
- Place Brant
- Place de la République
- Place de l'Université

Churches

The sandstone Gothic Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Strasbourg (Strasbourg Cathedral) features an elaborate astronomical clock. Construction of the cathedral commenced in 1015, but were later halted. In 1190, they were started again, but it was not until 1439 that the building was completed. The cathedral is located at the center of the Place de la Cathédrale. Its spire has a height of 142 m (466 ft) and it was the world's tallest building from 1647, when the taller spire of St. Mary's Church in Stralsund burnt down, until 1874, when it was surpassed by the tower of St. Nikolai's Church in Hamburg. The original plans of the cathedral are on display in the MOND museum.
The Église Saint-Étienne is a Romanesque churhc that was partly destroyed by Allied bombing raids in 1944. It was restored after WWII.
The Église Saint-Thomas (St. Thomas' Church) is a large church that features Romanesque and Gothic styles. It is home to a Silbermann organ that was once played by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Albert Schweitzer. It is built on the site of an earlier 6th-century church. Construction began in the 9th century, but it burned down and the extant church was built from 1196 to 1521.
The oldest part of the Gothic Église protestante Saint-Pierre-le-Jeune (Protestant Church of Young Saint Peter) is its crypt, which dates from the 7th century. Its cloister was built in the 11th century.
The church of Église Saint-Pierre-le-Vieux Protestant (Church of Old Saint Peter) is adjacent to the church of Saint-Pierre-le-Vieux Catholique. Inside the church, several 15th-century wood-worked and painted altars from former churches are on display. Documents show that the church already existed as early as 1130.
The Église Saint-Guillaume (Saint William's Church) was also constructed in Gothic style. It features Renaissance stained glass and furniture. The church sits on the bank of the Ill River.
The Gothic Église Saint-Jean.
The Église Sainte-Madeleine is part-Gothic, part-Art Nouveau.
The church of Saint-Pierre-le-Vieux Catholique was constructed in Neo-Gothic style.
The Orthodox Église Verte.

Bridges

There are 3 medieval Ponts Couverts (covered bridges) in Strasbourg. They were constructed from 1230 to 1250 and feature 4 towers, but nowadays, they are no longer covered.
Adjacent to the Ponts Couverts is the Barrage Vauban, which is a covered bridge that is part of Vauban's 17th-century fortifications. The Barrage Vauban was built in 1690 and beautifully restored in 2012.
The Passerelle is a futuristic bridge that spans the Rhine River. It was completed in 2004.
The Pont d'Auvergne is an iron bridge that was constructed in 1892.
The Pont de la Fonderie opened in 1893. It is an ornate stone bridge.

Museums

The Musée de l'Œuvre Notre-Dame (MOND) exhibits old paintings from the Germanic Rhenish territories, from before 1681, as well as decorative arts from the same period. The museum is housed in a part-Gothic, part-Renaissance building adjacent to Strasbourg Cathedral.
The Musée des Arts Décoratifs (Museum of Decorative Art) exhibits decorative arts from the years 1681 until 1871, as well as 18th-century furniture and china. It is located in the former residence of the cardinals of Rohan, known as the Palais Rohan.
The Cabinet des Estampes et Dessins exhibits prints and drawings from before 1871. It also has a large collection of engravings, drawings, woodcuts and lithographies.
The Musée des Beaux-Arts; (Museum of Fine Arts) displays old paintings from all over Europe that were painted before 1871. The museum has been housed in the Palais Rohan since 1898.
The Musée d'Art moderne et Contemporain (MAMCS, Modern and Contemporary Art Museum) has an exhibition of paintings that were produced after 1871. Decorative arts, as well as prints and drawings from the same period are also on display there. It is one of the largest museums of its kind in France.
The Musée Tomi Ungerer / Centre International de l'Illustration has a collection of old prints and drawings, as well as Ungerer's large collection of ancient toys. It is largely dedicated to the work of French artist Tomi Ungerer. It is located in the large former Villa Greiner next to the Theatre. The museum opened in 2007.
The Crypte aux Étoiles (Star Crypt) houses a collection of old telescopes and other antique astronomical devices such as clocks and theodolites. It is loacted in the basement of the Observatory of Strasbourg.
Fort Frère is an old fort in the district of Oberhausbergen.
Fort Rapp is located in the Reichstett District. It was built between 1872 and 1874.
The Gypsothèque is also known as the Musée des Moulages (Molds Museum), or Musée Adolf Michaelis. It houses the second-largest collection of casts in France.
The Instituts d'Égyptologie et de Papyrologie belongs to the University of Strasbourg. It displays artefacts from Ancient Egypt.
Le Vaisseau (The vessel) is a science and technology center that is designed for children.
MM Park France is a military museum, located in La Wantzenau.
The Musée Alsacien is dedicated to traditional Alsatian daily life. It opened in 1907.
The Musée Archéologique is home to countless artefacts from Ancient Egypt and Ancient Greece. It also displays regional findings from the first ages of man to the 6th century.
The Musée du Barreau de Strasbourg (The Strasbourg bar association museum) is a museum that is dedicated to the history of lawyers in Strasbourg.
The Musée d'Égyptologie features a collection of archaeological findings from Egypt and Sudan.
The Musée Historique (Historical Museum) has displays on the history of Strasbourg. Its collection includes numerous historic artefacts, including the Grüselhorn, which is a horn that was sounded at 10 P.M. every evening in Medieval times to order the Jews out of the city for the night. The museum was founded in 1920.
The Musée Les Secrets du Chocolat (Secrets of Chocolate Museum) is located in the neighborhood of Geispolsheim.
The Musée de Minéralogie houses a large collection of minerals and related artefacts. It was founded in 1890.
The Musée Pasteur has a collection of medical curiosities.
The Musée de Sismologie et Magnétisme Terrestre (Museum of Terrestrial Seismology and Magnetism) displays antique instruments for computing a variety of measurements.
The Musée Vodou (Voodoo Museum) is located in a former 1883 water tower. It has a collection of voodoo related items from Haiti. The museum opened in 2013.
The Musée Zoologique (Zoological Museum) is one of the oldest museums in France. It has a large collection of stuffed animals, especially birds.
The Observatory of Strasbourg was originally built in 1673 on one of the city's defensive towers. A second observatory was constructed on the roof of the academy in 1828. The current observatory was inaugurated in 1881. The building has a modern extension that used to house the Planétarium de Strasbourg until 2023. In the vaulted space below the observatory is the Crypte aux Étoiles, which exhibits a number of antique astronomical devices.
The Université de Strasbourg takes care of several public displays of scientific artefacts and items related to exploration and research.

Modern architecture

The Cité de la Musique et de la Danse is a music school.
The Cité Rotterdam.
The unique Hoenheim-Nord tramway station in the outskirts of Strasbourg.
Hôtel Brion.
The Hôtel du Département.
The Palais des Fêtes was built from 1901 to 1903.
The large district of Quartier Européen (European Quarter) includes some big administrative buildings, such as the European Court of Human Rights building, which opened in 1994.

Parks

The Jardin Botanique de l'Université de Strasbourg (botanical garden) was established during the times of German administration in 1881. It was laid out adjacent to the Observatory of Strasbourg, at 28 rue Goethe. It is a botanical garden and arboretum. You can still see some of the original greenhouses there. Admission if free.
The Jardin des deux Rives sits on both sides of the Rhine River. It opened in 2004 and it is the largest park in the city.
The Parc de la Citadelle was laid out around the remains of the 17th-century fortress.
The Parc de l'Orangerie was originally laid out as a French garden, but it was later remodeled as an English garden. Currently it again displays French gardens. It is home to a neo-classical castle and a small zoo.
The Parc de Pourtalès was laid out in English style. At its center is a Baroque castle that was converted into a hotel. The park features several sculptures.
The Parc des Contades is the oldest park in Strasbourg. It was completely remodeled after WWII.
The Parc des Poteries is a futuristic park that was ladi out in the 1990s.
The Parc du Heyritz was laid out in 2014 along a canal facing the hôpital civil.

The port of Strasbourg is the second-largest port on the Rhine River, as well as the second-largest river port in France. There are many hotels, cafés and restaurants in Strassbourg. The city is 435 km east of Paris.

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