Situated on the
Franco-German border, lovely Strasbourg has been passed
back and
forward between the two countries for years.
The result is a city and people with a
distinctive local identity, combining the reputed efficiency and energy of the Germans with the joie de vivre and sophistication of the French.
Strasbourg is far enough away from the capital to be
truly independent on a
cultural level, with its
own opera, France's only
national theater outside Paris, two international
music festivals and Europe's only
bi-national
TV station,
Arte.
Its symbolic significance as a major European city was confirmed when it was chosen as the seat of the
Council of Europe in 1949, the
European Court of Human Rights in 1994 and, finally guaranteed in 1992, the
European Parliament.
The
Grande Ile (Big Island), in the midst of the River Ill, is the ancient heart of the city, with the vast main square,
place Kléber at its center. Close by is
place Gutenberg - named after 15th-century Strasbourg resident Johannes Gutenberg, famed for his development of printing.
Strasbourg's great landmark is the
Cathédrale Notre-Dame in the
Vieille Ville (Old Town), which has remained unchanged since the Middle Ages. Around the Cathedral clusters an impressive array of
museums, cafes and restaurants.
The city center's attractive main shopping streets Rue des Grandes Arcades and parallel Rue des Francs Bourgeois are remarkably small and pedestrian friendly. Stunningly picturesque
Petite France, in the Grande Ile's southwestern corner, is Strasbourg's medieval quarter and a
UNESCO World Heritage Site. With its bridges and canals, half-timbered houses and narrow streets, it could not be more different from the ultra-modern
City of Europe in northeast Strasbourg where the EU institutions are located.
The Columbus World Travel Guide has been published for 26 years and is sold in over 90 countries worldwide.
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The Columbus World Travel Guide has been published for 26 years and is sold in over 90 countries worldwide.
Word Travels is a comprehensive travel guide covering hundreds of cities and holiday resorts in more than 125 countries.
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