FRANCE
The beauty of Strasbourg
hile in Alsace, we had the chance to visit Strasbourg, one more city famous for its Christmas markets, again before the festive period. From the gorgeous cathedral to the colorful houses, it was indeed so beautiful.
The Old City, however, is really where Strasbourg shines
Strasbourg is the cultural capital of Alsace and its largest city. After the 5th century AD, the city became known as Strasbourg, a name of German origin which means «town (at the crossing) of roads». The modern Stras- is cognate with the German Straße and English street, both derived from Latin strata (“paved road”), while -bourg is cognate with the German Burg and English borough, both derived from Proto-Germanic *burgz (“hill fort, fortress”).
We were staying at a hotel about 10 minutes from the center, but the walk there gave us a chance to take a good look around us. A beautiful city with architecture influenced by Baroque, Renaissance and Romantic periods before and after you reach the bridges.
The Old City, however, is really where Strasbourg shines. For starters, you get the first look of the breathtaking cathedral of Our Lady of Strasbourg – a gorgeous beast of a cathedral, as I call it. Standing in the center of the Place de la Cathédrale, at 142m tall, it was the world’s tallest building for more than 200 years. Today, it remains as one of the tallest churches in the world. The façade is adorned with statues of prophets from the Old Testament, the Passion of Christ served as an inspiration, but what will quickly catch your eyes is the wondrous, circular stained glass – also known as the Rose Window – featuring ears of wheat to symbolize the city’s commercial power in the Middle Ages.
From there on, you will come across the famous half-timbered houses – a style often seen in Alsace – mixed with other plain, though colorful, buildings.
The next point of interest is Petite France. The scenery here reminds you of Colmar, with half-timbered houses across the river, with flowers on their windows. At Petite France, the river Ill splits up into channels that flow through the area that once was the home of the tanners, the millers and the fishermen. You can take a cruise through the canals to show you around, but we opted to walk and mingle.
While you’re in Strasbourg, don’t forget to try Kougelhopf. It’s a sweet cake, symbol of Alsatian gastronomy, that you can probably say is the Alsatian version of the Italian Panettone.
Strasbourg is a vibrant city full of life, that you need to experience live, in the heart of it, because staying outside the Old City will give you a completely different angle. Walk by the river at night for tranquil moments and if you visit in mid to late autumn, you might even catch a glimpse of some Christmas preparations.
