Sights in Strasbourg
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Cathédrale Notre-Dame
Victor Hugo declared it a ‘gigantic and delicate marvel’, Goethe professed that its ‘loftiness is linked to its beauty’ and, no matter the angle or time of day, you too will be captivated by Strasbourg’s centrepiece Gothic cathedral. At once immense and intricate, the cathedral is a riot of filigree stonework and flying buttresses, leering gargoyles and lacy spires.
The west facade, most impressive if approached from rue Mercière, was completed in 1284, but the 142m spire – the tallest of its time – was not in place until 1439; its southern companion was never built.
On a sunny day, the 12th- to 14th-century stained-glass windows – especially the rose windo…
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Jardin des Deux Rives
An expression of flourishing Franco-German friendship, Strasbourg and its German neighbour Kehl have turned former customs posts and military installations into this 60-hectare garden, whose play areas, promenades and parkland straddle both banks of the Rhine. The centrepiece is Marc Mimram’s sleek (and hugely expensive) suspension bridge, which has proved a big hit with pedestrians and cyclists. From the tram stop, walk east or take bus 21 for three stops.
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Musée de l'Œuvre Notre-Dame
Occupying a cluster of sublime 14th- and 16th-century buildings, this museum harbours one of Europe’s premier collections of Romanesque, Gothic and Renaissance sculptures (including many originals from the cathedral), plus 15th-century paintings and stained glass. Christ de Wissembourg (c 1060; room two) is the oldest work of stained glass in France.
Hollywood gore seems tame compared to the tortures back when Hell really was hell. Sure to scare you into a life of chastity is Les Amants Trépassés (the Deceased Lovers; room 23), painted in 1470, showing a grotesque couple being punished for their illicit lust: both of their entrails are being devoured by dragon-headed …
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Palais des Droits de l'Homme
It’s just a hop across the Canal de la Marne to the swirly silver Palais des Droits de l’Homme, the most eye-catching of all the EU institutions.
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Musée Historique
Trace Strasbourg’s history from its beginnings as a Roman military camp called Argentoratum at this engaging museum housed in a 16th-century slaughterhouse. Highlights include a famous painting of the first-ever performance of La Marseillaise, France’s stirring national anthem, which – despite its name – was written in Strasbourg in 1792; a 1:600-scale model of the city, created in the 1720s to help Louis XV visualise the city’s fortifications; and a Gutenberg Bible from 1485. Kids can try on medieval-style knights’ helmets and touch ancient pots and 18th-century cannons.
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Palais Rohan
Hailed a ‘Versailles in miniature’, this opulent 18th-century residence was built for the city’s princely bishops, and Louis XV and Marie-Antoinette once slept here.
The basement Musée Archéologique takes you from the Palaeolithic period to AD 800. On the ground floor is the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, where rooms adorned with Hannong ceramics and gleaming silverware evoke the lavish lifestyle of the nobility in the 18th century. On the 1st floor, the Musée des Beaux-Arts’ collection of 14th- to 19th-century art reveals El Greco, Botticelli and Flemish Primitive works.
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European Parliament
The home of the relatively toothless 732-member European Parliament , used just 12 times a year for four-day 'part-sessions' (plenary sessions), is 2.5km northeast of the cathedral. When it's in session (dates are available from the tourist office or on the website - click 'Activities' and then 'Parliament's Calendar'), you can sit in on debates for up to one hour; it's first-come first-served (bring ID) and no reservations are possible.
The rest of the time the building is inaccessible because of strict post-9/11 security measures.
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Place de la République
Many of Strasbourg’s grandest public buildings, constructed when the city was ruled by the German Reich, huddle northeast of Grande Île around place de la République. The neighbourhood that stretches eastwards to Parc de l’Orangerie is dominated by sturdy stone buildings inspired by late-19th-century Prussian tastes.
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Musée d'Art Moderne et Contemporain
This striking glass-and-steel cube showcases an outstanding collection of fine art, graphic art and photography. Kandinsky, Picasso, Magritte and Monet canvases hang out alongside curvaceous works by Strasbourg-born abstract artist Hans Jean Arp. Find details on temporary exhibitions on the website.
Don’t leave without enjoying a drink at the glass-fronted Art Café, graced by bold frescoes by Japanese artist Aki Kuroda. The terrace commands terrific views of the River Ill and Petite France.
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Palais de l'Europe
A futuristic glass crescent, the Council of Europe’s Palais de l’Europe across the the River Ill can be visited on free one-hour weekday tours; phone ahead for times and reservations.
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Petite France
Criss-crossed by narrow lanes, canals and locks, impossibly pretty Petite France is where craftsmen plied their trades in the Middle Ages. The half-timbered houses, sprouting veritable thickets of scarlet geraniums in summer, and the riverside parks attract the masses, but the area still manages to retain its Alsatian atmosphere and charm, especially in the early morning and late evening.
Drink in views of the River Ill and the mighty 17th-century Barrage Vauban (Vauban Dam), undergoing renovation at the time of research, from the much-photographed Ponts Couverts (Covered Bridges) and their trio of 13th-century towers.
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Parc de l’Orangerie
Across from the Palais de l’Europe, this flowery park, designed in the 17th century by Le Nôtre of Versailles fame, is a family magnet with its playgrounds and swan-dotted lake. In summer you can rent row boats on Lac de l’Orangerie. Kids can get up close to storks and goats at the park’s mini zoo (admission free).
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Musée Tomi Ungerer
A tribute to one of Strasbourg’s most famous sons – award-winning illustrator and cartoonist Tomi Ungerer – this museum is housed in the fetching Villa Greiner. The collection discloses the artist’s love of dabbling in many genres, from children’s book illustrations to satirical drawings and erotica.
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Musée Alsacien
Spread across three typical houses from the 1500s and 1600s, this museum affords a fascinating glimpse into Alsatian life over the centuries. Kitchen equipment, children’s toys, colourful furniture and even a tiny 18th-century synagogue are on display in the museum’s two dozen rooms.
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Grande Île
History seeps through winding lanes dotted with candy-coloured half-timbered houses and vibrant café-rimmed squares in the Unesco World Heritage site of Grande Île, a place made for aimless ambling. These ancient streets cower beneath the soaring magnificence of the cathedral and its sidekick, the gingerbready 15th-century Maison Kammerzell, with its ornate carvings and leaded windows. The alleys are at their most atmospheric when lantern-lit at night.
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Cathédrale Notre Dame Platform
The Cathédrale Notre Dame platform , 66m high above the façade - from which the tower and its Gothic openwork spire soar another 76m - affords a spectacular stork's-eye view of Strasbourg. The 330 spiral steps begin at the base of the tower that was never built.
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Astronomical Clock
At the Cathédrale Notre-Dame, the 30m-high Gothic-meets-Renaissance astronomical clock strikes solar noon at 12.30pm with a parade of carved wooden figures portraying the different stages of life and Jesus with his apostles.
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Terrasse Panoramique
Grande Île's romantic Terrasse Panoramique on top of Barrage Vauban, a dam built to prevent river-borne attacks on the city (and now used to store bits and pieces of stone statuary), affords panoramas of the River Ill.
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Maison Kammerzell
The gingerbready 15th century Maison Kammerzell has ornate carvings and leaded windows.
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Place Gutenberg
Well worth a peek is for its Renaissance-style Chambre de Commerce (Chamber of Commerce).
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