Dreaming Of France: Strasbourg
A final tour through one of our favorite spots in France.
By now, dear reader, you may have had enough Strasbourg from me. But we do love it and both of our visits have been wonderful. For now, this is the final overview. You can see the previous articles here:
Onward…
Strasbourg is the capital city of the Grand Est region, formerly Alsace, in northeastern France. Nestled along the Rhine River, it is also the formal seat of the European Parliament and sits near the German border, with culture and architecture blending German and French influences.
The city's history dates back to Roman times when it was established as Argentoratum, a military outpost. However, it was during the Middle Ages that Strasbourg truly flourished as a Free Imperial City within the Holy Roman Empire. This unique status allowed it to develop its own distinctive culture, architecture, and trading relationships. The city's strategic location at the crossroads of major trade routes contributed to its prosperity and cultural diversity.
Grande Île
The historic center of Strasbourg is an island — Grande Île — encircled by the River Ill (pronounced "eel" in French). The Ill splits into multiple channels as it flows through the city, creating the island. The branches of the Ill that wrap around the historic center are the main channel of the Ill on the southern side and the Canal du Faux-Rempart on the northern side.
At the western end, the water is controlled by the 17th-century Vauban Dam (Barrage Vauban), which was designed as part of the city's defensive system and could be used to deliberately flood the southern plains in case of attack.
The Ponts Couverts (Covered Bridges), despite no longer having their wooden roofs, still cross these waterways with their three remaining 13th-century towers.
The Grande Île was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1988 and showcases one of the most well-preserved medieval city centers in Europe. Timber-framed houses with their distinctive steep roofs and colorful facades line the narrow cobblestone streets.
European Parliament
We visited the European Parliament when it wasn’t in session, which is most of the time as it turns out. The Parliament Building, known as the Louise Weiss Building or the "Tower of Europe," is located in the European Quarter northeast of the city center.
Completed in 1999, the building is an architectural statement in glass and steel. The building's transparent design is supposed to represent the openness and accessibility of European institutions to citizens. The tower, which appears deliberately unfinished on one side, symbolizes the ongoing construction of European unity.
The Parliamentary Chamber, or Hemicycle, which seats all 705 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), is impressive with its sweeping amphitheater design and modern technological facilities for simultaneous interpretation in all EU official languages.
Petite France
Petite France is the most picturesque and historic quarter of Strasbourg, located at the western end of the Grande Île. Originally, this district was the home of the city's tanners, millers, and fishermen in the Middle Ages and Renaissance periods.
The name "Petite France" comes from the "Hospice des Vérolés" (Hospital for Syphilitics) that was built in this area in the 15th century to treat soldiers who had contracted what was then called the "French disease." Good times.
Like much of the city center, the district is characterized by half-timbered houses from the 16th and 17th centuries that lean out over the canals, featuring their distinctive steep roofs with open lofts where tanners would once hang their skins to dry. Former water-powered mills and tanning houses have been converted into restaurants and hotels.
Museums
We spent 6 days in Strasbourg during our most recent visit, which gave us plenty of time to explore beyond the Christmas markets. Strasbourg’s many museums
Museum of Alsace
The Alsatian Museum was created in the early 1900s to reinforce the region's identity against attempts at Germanisation. Located in 3 former houses in Strasbourg, linked by a maze of stairways and connecting passages, the museum displays over 5,000 artifacts witnessing the daily life of Alsatians in the 18th and 19th centuries. Furniture, homeware, toys, traditional costumes, tools, sacred artifacts, and images are on display in the 30 rooms.
Museum of Strasbourg
The Historical Museum of Strasbourg is located in the city's Grandes Boucheries (slaughterhouses), which were built in 1588. The museum covers the period from the Middle Ages to today. While the museum tracks the way the region ping-ponged back and forth between German and French control, it very much emphasizes that the people here think of themselves as distinctively Alsatian first.
The museum also does its best to lay claim to the Johannes Gutenberg legacy. Born in Germany, his family fled due to political unrest. Gutenberg did a lot of the development of his printing press while living in Strasbourg between 1434 and 1444. He returned to Mainz, Germany where he completed work on the printing press, and changed the course of human history. And so, Germany tends to get the Gutenberg glory.
Palais Rohan (Archaeological Museum, Decorative Arts Museum, Fine Arts Museum)
The Palais Rohan, often called the "Versailles of Strasbourg," exemplifies French Baroque architecture. Built in the 18th century for Cardinal Rohan, it now houses three important museums: the Archaeological Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts, and the Museum of Decorative Arts.
Tomi Ungerer Museum - International Illustration Centre
Located in the Villa Greiner, the museum holds a collection of 14,000 drawings donated to his hometown by Tomi Ungerer, a cartoonist and illustrator born in 1931 in Strasbourg. The collection houses 8,000 original drawings, sketches, sculptures, and posters.
Chris O’Brien
Paris, France