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Haut Rhin, Bas Rhin Transport in StrasbourgFrance, Alsace, Bas Rhin, Strasbourg | Transport and accommodation | 17-02-2008 22:38 | FrenchProperty4U.eu
Strasbourg has its own airport, serving a limited number of destinations. Train services operate eastward to Offenburg and Karlsruhe in Germany, westward to Metz and Paris, and southward to Basel. Since June 10, 2007, Strasbourg is linked to the European high-speed train network by the TGV Est (Paris-Strasbourg). Read more | Comments
Museums in StrasbourgFor a city of comparatively small size, Strasbourg displays a large quantity and variety of museums:
Parks in StrasbourgStrasbourg features a number of prominent parks, of which several are of cultural and historical interest: the Parc de l'Orangerie, laid out as a French garden by André le Nô tre and remodeled as an English garden on behalf of José phine de Beauharnais, now displaying noteworthy French gardens, a neo-classical castle and a small zoo; the Parc de la Citadelle, built around impressive remains of the 17th-century fortress erected close to the Rhine by Vauban; the Parc de Pourtalè s, laid out in English style around a baroque castle (heavily restored in the 19th century) that now houses the Schiller International University, and featuring an open-air museum of international contemporary sculpture. Architecture of StrasbourgThe city is chiefly known for its sandstone Gothic Cathedral with its famous astronomical clock, and for its medieval cityscape of Rhineland black and white timber-framed buildings, particularly in the Petite-France district alongside the Ill and in the streets and squares surrounding the cathedral, where the renowned Maison Kammerzell stands out. History of StrasbourgFrom Romans to RenaissanceAt the site of Strasbourg, the Romans established a military outpost and named it Argentoratum . (Hence the town is commonly called Argentina in medieval Latin.) It belonged to the Germania SuperiorRoman province. The name was first mentioned in the year 12 BC; the city celebrated its 2, 000th birthday of continuous settlement in 1988. About Bas RhinBas-Rhin is one of the original 83 dé partements created on 4 March 1790, during the French Revolution. In the mid-1790s, following the French occupation of the entire left bank of the Rhine, the northern boundary of the dé partement was extended north beyond the Lauter to the Queich river to include the areas of Annweiler am Trifels, Landau in der Pfalz, Bad Bergzabern, and Wö rth am Rhein. StrasbourgIs the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in northeastern France, with 702, 412 inhabitants in the metropolitan area in 2007. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the pré fecture (capital) of the Bas-Rhindé partement. Strasbourg is the seat of several European institutions such as the Council of Europe with its European Court of Human Rights, its European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines and its European Audiovisual Observatory, the Eurocorps as well as theEuropean Parliament and the European Ombudsman of the European Union. Tourism in AlsaceHaving been early and always densely populated, Alsace is famous for its high number of picturesque villages, churches and castles and for the various beauties of its three main towns, in spite of severe destructions suffered throughout five centuries of wars between France and Germany. Alsace is furthermore famous for its vineyards (especially along the Route du vin from Marlenheim to Colmar) and the Vosges mountains with their thick and green forests and picturesque lakes. Rivers and Air traffic in AlsacePort traffic of Alsace exceeds 15 million tonnes, of which about three quarters is centred on Strasbourg, which is the second busiest French fluvial harbour. The enlargement plan of the Rhine-Rhô ne channel, intended to link up the Mediterranean Sea and Central Europe (Rhine, Danube, North Sea and Baltic Sea) was abandoned in 1998 for reasons of expense and land erosion, notably in the Doubs valley. Trains in AlsaceTER Alsace is the rail network serving Alsace. Its network is articulated around the city of Strasbourg. It's one of the most developed rail network in France, financially sustained partly by the French railroad SNCF, and partly by the ré gion Alsace. Because the Vosges are surmountable only by the Col de Saverne, it has been suggested that Alsace needs to open up and get closer to France in terms of its rail links. Roads in AlsaceMost major car journeys are made on the A35 autoroute (with intermittent areas of dual carriageways), which links Saint-Louis on the Swiss border to Lauterbourg on the German border. The A4 toll-road (towards Paris) begins 20 km northwest of Strasbourg and the A36 toll-road towards Lyon, begins 10 km west from Mulhouse. Between France and GermanyFrance had declared the Franco-Prussian War (1870-71), and was defeated not only by the Kingdom of Prussia, but also by other German states which at the end of the war led to the unification of Germany. Otto von Bismarck annexed Alsace and northern Lorraine to the new German Empire in 1871; unlike other members states of the German federation, which had governments of their own, the new Imperial territory of Alsace-Lorraine was under the sole authority of the Kaiser, administered directly by the imperial government in Berlin. Duchy of AlsaceRoman AlsaceIn prehistoric times, Alsace was inhabited by nomadic hunters, but by 1500 BC, Celts began to settle in Alsace, clearing and cultivating the land. By 58 BC, the Romans had invaded and established Alsace as a center of viticulture. To protect this highly valued industry, the Romans built fortifications and military camps that evolved into various communities which have been inhabited continuously to the present day. |
Quick linksAbout Alsace
Fertile, wooded countryside but also, with its 1.6 million inhabitants, many densely populated areas. Bordering on Germany, Alsace did not become part of France until 1678. In 1871 it was annexed by Prussia after the Franco-Prussian War but was restored to France in 1918 (Albert Schweitzer, the famous humanitarian, was born in Alsace in 1875, but is claimed by both the French and the Germans as their own son … but he lived much of his life in Africa).
The region produces excellent white wine and most of France's beer. Ribeauvillé, Kientzheim and Mittelheim are just a few of the wine-growing communities in Alsace which hold annual wine festivals, complete with dancing, flowers and fountains flowing with wine. The common grape varieties grown in Alsace include Sylvaner, Riesling and Pinot Blanc. There is more to Alsatian cuisine than choucroute and sausages. Try baekeoffe, tarte flambée or roïgabragelti, which are all specialities of this Franco-Germanic region. The region used to be a nesting place for migrating storks but over the years their numbers gradually declined; twenty years ago the stork population in Alsace had dwindled to near extinction. Then, in 1976 a rescue plan was set up in Hunawihr and now there are more than 150 storks who have made their home here. Described by the writer Georges Duhamel as "the most beautiful city in the world", Colmar is certainly very picturesque with its half-timbered houses and window-boxes of flowers. From here you can follow the wine-route south through Pfaffenheim to Thann. There is a remarkable car museum in Mulhouse: once the private collection of two brothers, Hans & Fritz Schlumpf, it is now both a museum housing Bugattis and Rolls-Royces and a hands-on exhibition of contemporary and future transport. Strasbourg has a beautiful cathedral with a famous astronomical clock. Legend has it that the sculptures on the Angel Pillar of Strasbourg cathedral were not entirely man-made, such is their quality. The cathedral has been described as 'a pinky-red angel hovering over the city'. Also unmissable are the Château des Rohan and its 18th century treasures.
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