Carrefour de L’Europe (Crossroads of Europe) or Capital of Europe to be more exact. Strasbourg is the home of the European Parliament and is therefore the democratic and legislative capital of Europe.
Both French and German culture can be seen throughout the city, largely because of its close proximity to Germany. It was therefore not much of a surprise to hear people speaking Deutsch along the way. (Also the reason why the title is both German and French :P)
While the European Parliament is one of the city’s key features, it is the Grande Ale, (Grand Island) that is historically and culturally synonymous with Strasbourg.
These are the short stories while spending a day at the Crossroads of Europe...
(Written on 1st June 2014)
Crossing the bridge to Grande Île (Grand Island), which is on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The island has a handful of old churches and is also home to Place Kléber, the central square of Strasbourg city. St Thomas' Church was supposed to be next, but most of it was under maintenance.
Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Strasbourg (Strasbourg Cathedral): A mix of Romanesque and Gothic architecture, this "gigantic and delicate marvel" (Victor Hugo) was for a few hundred years the world's tallest building! Like the Frauenkirche in München, this cathedral has a Legend involving the Devil, which again is a story for another day.
Palais Rohan lies along the Ill River and houses 3 museums: Fine Arts, Archaeological and Decorative Arts. The Palace is listed by France's Ministry of Culture as a National Heritage Site.
Walking along the Ill River with Église Saint-Guillaume (St William's Church) on the opposite side of the river. Sunny it may be, but it was really rather windy and cold.
Taking in the warmth of the sun with Église Saint-Paul de Strasbourg (St Paul's Church) in the background and the Ill River.
Église Saint-Paul de Strasbourg (St Paul's Church): Also listed by France's Ministry of Culture as a National Heritage Site. It's prime location and twin spires mean that it can be spotted from afar (as can be seen in the previous).
Make a guess what this building is? Except for the fact that it's an EU building, it's hard to tell what it is. Found out after that it is the supra-national European Court of Human Rights...
The European Parliament: The city of Strasbourg is the official seat of the European Parliament. It also has a name, i.e. The Louise Weiss Building.
With the Louise Weiss Building behind me, it was really interesting for me to come here especially having just finished my EU Law course back then. The recently concluded EU Parliament elections, it has to be said for sure that the EU will remain the only supra-national organisation for quite a long while more. ASEAN will most certainly not be following in its footsteps anytime soon.
As much as it was nice to go all the way to the EU Parliament, it meant that we had to come back the same way we came from. That said, it also meant capturing the other side of St. Paul's.
Palais du Rhin is in the German section of Strasbourg. It's much larger than it seems here and is said to be the largest 19th century Prussian architecture that was fully preserved. It takes up most of Place de la République (Republic Square) which is now a garden with lots of pretty flowers. The Strasbourg Monument aux Morts, built to remember the children who lost their lives in WWI, is located close by,
Bibliothèque nationale et universitaire (National University Library) is directly opposite the Palais du Rhin. It is said to home to the second-largest collection of volumes (around 3 million).
Strasbourg was a nice and pretty city to take a stroll around. Just a day trip there was just about right. Had my first taste of delightful French food though. More to come then... Au Revior Strasbourg and Bonsiour Nancy!
Enjoying a nice evening in the Place de la République. The adorable baby here just can't help smiling :)
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