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 City Centre
The old city centres on the cathedral on the island formed by the river
Ill's two branches. This picturesque quarter is the city's nerve centre as
well. In front of the Cathédrale Notre-Dame, the Place de la Cathédrale
boasts a plethora of typical half-timbered houses including the 1268
Pharmacie du Cerf - the oldest druggist's in France, and the Maison
Kammerzell which, besides being a masterpiece of wood sculpture, is also a
popular restaurant and hotel. Sidewalk cafés all around allow the visitor
to take in some refreshment along with the view of Notre-Dame. The
cathedral's right side faces the Oeuvre Notre-Dame museum and the Palais
Rohan , which houses the Musée des Arts Décoratifs (Decorative Arts
Museum), the Musée des Beaux-Arts (Fine Arts Museum) and the Musée
Archéologique (Archaeological Museum).
Not far from the cathedral, the Place du Marché-Gayot offers trendy
bars and student-occupied sidewalk tables. The adjacent Place
Saint-Etienne gives onto a number of charming narrow streets leading to
the Place Broglie, a long tree-lined square on which is found the Opéra
with its stately columns and muses sculpted by Ohmacht. To the right, the
Hôtel du Préfet is worth a gander as well. During the month of December,
the Place Broglie is the scene of a lively Christmas market. The area is
also home to the Grandes Arcades, a traditional shopping street which
leads to the Place Kléber, itself bordered on the north side by the
18th-century Aubette . The Place Kléber is always humming with activity
and hosts twice-weekly an open-air market where one may find many
unpronouncable local products (flamenküche, bibeleskäs, etc.).
Petite France
Strasbourg's most picturesque and romantic quarter features narrow
streets, the banks of the Ill, and half-timbered houses along the canal.
Mills and tanneries (i.e., enterprises that needed plentiful water) once
occupied the district, taking advantage of the many canals that pass
through it. Here the visitor finds traditional shops selling handmade
products, as well as quite a few restaurants. Take the kids to the Parc de
l'Homme Qui Rêve to admire Alsatian houses festooned with geraniums or
decorated for Christmas, indeed, the prettiest season of the year thanks
to a charm that transcends time. Take advantage of the sidewalk tables at
the Pont Saint-Martin; have a stroll along the riverfront; enjoy the view
of the entire neighbourhood (including the Musée d'Art Moderne et
Contemporain [Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art]) from the Ponts
Couverts (Covered Bridges), a series of three 14th-century bridges astride
the Ill.
Whence the name of Petite France (Little France)? In the 16th century,
the district was home to a hospital specialising in venereal diseases; the
Alsatians blamed France for the proliferation of such maladies,
attributing them in part to soldiers returning from the wars in Italy, and
thus nicknamed the quarter "Zum Französel" or, in French,
"Petite France".
Quartier Allemand
The Quartier Allemand (German District), showcase of German
neoclassical architecture in Strasbourg, centres around the Place de la
République, a vast square around a small wooded park housing a 1936
monument to war dead sculpted by Drivier. A number of imposing, impressive
buildings face the square, most ex-German palaces now converted to public
uses; these include the Bibliothèque Nationale Universitaire (National
University Library), the Théâtre National de Strasbourg (Strasbourg
National Theatre), the prefecture, and the Palais du Rhin (Palace of the
Rhine). The neighbourhood also symbolises the city's cultural and
religious pluralism: here, for example, can be found the Synagogue de la
Paix (Synagogue of Peace), built in 1955 to replace an older edifice
destroyed by the Nazis in 1940. The synagogue faces the tranquil Parc des
Contades.
Off the Place de la République one can follow the Avenue de la
Marseillaise and discover a number of buildings of interest. On the Place
du Général Eisenhower, at the confluence of the Ill and the Aar, sits
the neo-Gothic church of Saint-Paul. From here one can see 19th-century
German architect Otto Warth's Palais Universitaire (Palace of the
University), which for over a century has housed the University of
Strasbourg's history and archaeology faculties. After visiting the
interior of this structure, one may explore the botanical garden and
directly behind it, the Strasbourg Planetarium.
Orangerie, Quartier des XV
This most prestigious district in town dates from the 19th century and,
accordingly, is made up of sturdy bourgeois buildings, former hôtels
particuliers and lovely parks. Strasbourg's political centre is also here
thanks to the Palais des Droits de l'Homme (Palace of Human Rights), the
European Parliament and the European Council which gives onto the Parc de
l'Orangerie, largest and most beautiful of Strasbourg's parks. The park
was laid out by Le Nôtre in 1804 in anticipation of a visit by Empress
Joséphine; today families come to take walks, go for canoe rides and
visit monkeys, lynx and storks at the zoo. Also not be missed is the
Buerehiesel, a gorgeous 17th-century half-timbered house. The Orangerie
borders on the European Council, whose immense glass façade is often
reflected in the water.
Just down the street are the Palais de la Musique et des Congrès
(Music and Convention Centre), the Maison de la Télévision (Television
Centre), and the Wacken area, whose own convention centre hosts events
like the Foire Européenne (European Fair), the Foire Saint-Jean (Saint
John's Fair), and the Egast.
Krutenau, Finkwiller
These southern neighbourhoods have historically been inhabited by
fishermen, boatmen and market gardeners. Today La Krut, as it is known
locally, is a studenty district within which are located the main
university faculties as well as the hippest, cheapest bars in town (try
the Café des Anges or the Elastic). In this decidedly informal district
one often sees what appears to be the entire student population of
Strasbourg relaxing at sidewalk cafés and in various foreign restaurants
(Lebanese, Greek, Portuguese, etc.). While visiting the area, one can't
help but notice the striking churches of Saint-Guillaume and
Sainte-Madeleine.
The Finkwiller district, bordered by the faculty of medicine, the
Strasbourg public hospital, the departmental government building and the
Petite France neighbourhood, is also home to the churches of Saint-Nicolas
and Saint-Louis, as well as a host of good restaurants including La
Choucrouterie (The Sauerkrautery), La Coccinelle (The Ladybug), and La
Cuiller à Pot (The Ladle), and lively bars like the Tapas Café which
will be particularly appreciated by night owls. |