SHORT version:
For visitors wanting to see Paris and one other French city - or indeed just one French city other than Paris, Strasbourg is the place. Strasbourg is one of the great historic cities of Europe, and its history is very different from that of Paris.
Alsace, and with it, Strasbourg, only became French in the 17th century. Alsace was French from 1648 to 1871, but during this time it remained German- speaking. From 1871 until 1919, and again from 1940 to 1944, Alsace was annexed by Germany.
Capital of Europe, Strasbourg is also a City of Art and History renowned for its exceptional buildings. Inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, the old town has preserved much evidence of its past, especially of its medieval period and its Renaissance period.
Built between the 11th to the 15th century on the foundations of a former Rhineland basilica, the Notre-Dame cathedral is sumptuous. Its spire reaches 142 metres in height! The magnificent Gothic western facade made of Vosges pink sandstone can be admired from the Mercière street. Inside, the astronomical clock of Renaissance style offers the Apostles parade every day at half past noon.
The Cathedral square is surrounded by beautiful period buildings, such as the Cerf pharmacy dating from the 13th century and the Kammerzell house, a magnificent residence with carved timber frames of the Renaissance period and home to a famous restaurant today.
Very picturesque and romantic, Petite France is the former tanners, millers and fishermen district. The large sloping roofs of the houses you can see were formerly intended for drying the skins. Along the water, the Tanners house dating from 1572 is a magnificent example. The charming banks of the Ill river as well as the pedestrian narrow streets of the Petite France district are the best places to discover beautiful half-timbered houses and to spend a really pleasant moment. The panoramic terrace of the Vauban dam boasts a beautiful view of covered bridges, the Petite France district and the cathedral.
Strasbourg is a city rich in museums including the Rohan palace containing three museums dedicated respectively to Decorative arts, Fine Art and Archaeology; the Notre-Dame Work museum dedicated to the Middle Ages sculpture; the Alsatian museum highlighting the Alsatian art and traditions; the Modern and contemporary Art museum telling the story of art from Impressionism to today.
For shopping fans, the city abounds with beautiful shops and department stores. The Orangerie park is featuring a lake and offers a peaceful and pleasant green setting. Near the park, the European district is the headquarters of several bodies: the Council of Europe, the European Parliament, and the European Court of Human Rights.
The city offers a wide choice of cultural activities, notably with its International music festival in June and Musica, the festival of the music of today, which takes place in September. In December, the famous Christmas market of Strasbourg is a good moment with many illuminations, typical decorations and a warm atmosphere.
LONGER version:
For visitors wanting to see Paris and one other French city - or indeed just one French city other than Paris, Strasbourg is the place. Strasbourg is one of the great historic cities of Europe, and its history is very different from that of Paris.
In the year 840 AD, on the death of the Emperor Charlemagne's son Louis the Pious, the great Frankish "Holy Roman" Empire was split into three parts. West Francia in the west became the heartland of modern France. East Francia in the east became Germany; and between them lay Middle Francia – an area today made up of small states, Luxembourg Belgium, the Netherlands, and Switzerland. Between Luxembourg and Switzerland middle Francia included the duchies of Alsace, Lorraine and Burgundy, which are today part of France. But this was not always the case.
Alsace, and with it Strasbourg, only became French in the 17th century. Alsace was French from 1648 to 1871, but during this time it remained German- speaking. From 1871 until 1919, and again from 1940 to 1944, Alsace was annexed by Germany.
While today the people of Alsace all speak French, the historic Germanic culture of the city of Strasbourg is tangible, and indeed part of the city's identity. Many signs are written up in both French and Alsatian (a dialect of German), or sometimes just in Alsatian; and signs on many historic buildings are written up using the classically German Gothic script.
As for wining and dining, Strasbourg's gourmet traditions are quite distinctive, and more German than French. Flammekueche is something between a quiche lorraine and a pizza, and choucroute, sauerkraut in English or German, is a major speciality. Another popular dish is baeckoffe, an oven-baked meat and potato dish.Alsace and Strasbourg are also famous for their pain d'épices, a kind of spicebread or gingerbread, particularly in the runup to Christmas.
For a classic Strasbourg dining experience, visitors have a large number of Alsacian restaurants and Winstubs; the latter are typical Alsace restaurants, mostly furnished with wooden chairs and tables, decorated in Alsace style, and often housed in old half-timbered buildings. They are Alsace's equivalent of an old fashioned English pub, where people go as much to drink - in this case local Alsace wine - as to eat.
Strasbourg is the second most popular tourist city in France, after Paris; and there are three main attractions. Firstly the cathedral, the second most visited French cathedral after Notre Dame de Paris; secondly the picture-book historic quarter of Petite France, with its half-timbered medieval houses and its quays overlooking branches of the river Ill (that is the river " ill "); and thirdly the Strasbourg Christmas market. The Christmas market, or Christkindelsmärik, the market of the child Jesus, is the oldest and biggest historic Christmas market in Europe, and fills the squares and old streets round the cathedral for the whole of December.
One of the great things about Strasbourg as a city-break destination, is that you can do so much on foot. The old city is quite small. Just next to the cathedral, in and around the Palais Rohan, is a cluster of museums, the most impressive of which is the Strasbourg art gallery, or Musée des Beaux Arts.One of the best provincial art galleries in France, the gallery has a small but rich and representative collection of European art from the Renaissance onwards, including works by Giotto, Botticelli, Raphael, Rubens, El Greco, Van Dyck, Corot, Courbet and many more. The Palais Rohan, a fine eighteenth-century palace, also houses the Museum of Decorative Arts, and the Strasbourg Archeological Museum; and just across the street is the Strasbourg historical museum.
The other popular tourist attraction in Strasbourg is to take a boat trip on the river Ill. Boats leave from in front of the Palais Rohan, by the museums, and take visitors round the island in the river Ill on which the historic city of Strasbourg is built.
