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Haut Rhin, Bas Rhin 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. 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. |
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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