|
|
onjour! Our May newsletter is dedicated
to a particularly picturesque city: Strasbourg. Also called
"the Silver City" by the Romans, its geographic location and
its dynamism have made it a highly desirable area, torn apart
and divided between the Germans and the French. Luckily, (for
the French), after the Second World War it would definitively
be returned to France where its heart had always belonged.
But, before continuing, please remember that you can access
and read all the newsletters already published at
www.FranceMonthly.com and receive our free monthly newsletter
every month through email: just subscribe at
www.FranceMonthly.com.
We commit to NEVER sell your email address to another company.
The Island on the Silver River
The center of the city,
particularly picturesque with its 15th and 16th century dwellings, is a small island encircled by
the river Ill. Strolling through this area is probably the best way to experience the true atmosphere
of the city. There is nothing more pleasurable than to wander the narrow streets bordered by
medieval half-timbered homes, built close to one another, with their pointed rooftops pierced
with dormers. Arising from amidst these medieval streets is the magnificent Notre-Dame Cathedral.
The square where the cathedral sits however is never protected from the wind. Legend says that
the devil hoped for his image to be forever represented in the cathedral and he therefore asked the
wind to bring him to it and to wait outside as he entered the cathedral. When he could not find
a statue of himself, he became enraged, and so violently stamped his foot that a stained glass
window aspirated him. Since that day, the wind is still waiting for him outside!
The Origin of the Cathedral
According to history,
and perhaps legend, Clovis, the King of the Francs, was at the origin of the construction of
a church built in honor of the Virgin Mary at the exact location of the present day cathedral.
Clovis did not share his wife Clothilde’s faith. She wanted her husband to become Catholic.
Clovis, wishing to extend his kingdom to the present day Alsace region and Germany, attacked
the Alamans (a German tribe) in Tolbiac in 496. After a difficult fight, he promised his wife’s God
that he would convert to Catholicism and build a cathedral in honor of the Virgin Mary if he won
this battle. Soon afterward, the King of the Alamans was mortally wounded by an arrow. The German
soldiers, understanding that their God had abandoned them, fled, and Clovis won the difficult battle.
True to his word, he was baptized a Catholic in Reims in 496, and the construction of the cathedral began in 510.
|
|
| Recipe
for May 2002 |
Flammenkücke |
|
|
|
Cooking SOS ! If you
run into trouble with one of our recipes, send
an SOS e-mail to 911@francemonthly.com |
|
|
|
|
| Notre-Dame Cathedral of Strasbourg |
Probably the most beautiful and famous
of monuments of the Alsace region, the Notre-Dame cathedral dominates the old city, and is a jewel
of gothic art. A magnificent building of pink sandstone, it is to be admired in its entirety. Begun in
the 12th century, the construction of the "large pink angel" as the poet Paul Claudel named it, took
more than 2 centuries to build. The portal is extremely ornate, with sculptures evoking biblical scenes.
The rose window is 14 meters in diameter, and largely inspired by the northern portal of Notre-Dame of
Paris. This window is so finely detailed that one thinks of lace. The spire, which soars 142 meters high
toward the heavens, narrowly escaped demolition during the 1793 revolution, and was the highest
building in the entire western world until the 19th century. It is still a remarkable experience to climb
up the internal staircase to the top and take in the breathtaking view of Strasbourg.
|
 |
|
|
Subscribe to the Newsletter
Subscribe to this monthly newsletter. Every month brings you
to a new and wonderful area of France with unique stories and insights into its
history and best areas to visit. We commit to NEVER sell your email address
to another company. Click on the image below.
|
|
|
| The Pillar of Angels |
The interior architecture of the cathedral reflects
the many changes and tendencies of construction during the two centuries it took to build, and is
another source of marvel. The Pillar of Angels is a remarkable sight, as it appears to be so fragile yet
magnificent with its towering, thin columns surrounded by three rows of statues. On the lower level,
the four evangelists and their symbols: Saint Marc and the lion, Saint John and the eagle, Saint Matthew
and the angel, and finally Saint Luke and the oxen. Above, four angels sound their horns announcing the
Last Judgment. On the upper level is Christ, surrounded by three angels, carrying instruments of the
Passion. Around 1250, the artist who had sculpted this pillar was intrigued by a peasant who watched it
constantly, mesmerized by the fact that such a thin pillar could uphold such a splendid structure. The
artist promised the peasant that he would be able to admire this work until the day it would collapse.
This is why for seven centuries now, visitors can admire, in the southern transept, the sculpture of the
peasant leaning on his folded arms at the songsters’ platform, smiling and untiringly contemplating this
fragile pillar.
|
|
|
Forward this Newsletter
Share the information on this region of France with a friend
by clicking on the image below.
|
|
|
|
|
| The Astronomic Clock |
 |
The astronomic clock is an absolute treasure of the cathedral. Truly an
architectural and technical feat, the clock is the fruit of the labor of a professor of mathematics,
a physician, a clockmaker and an artist. The clock we admire today was begun in 1547. A variety
of information is provided by the clock thanks to the automatons at four different levels. At the
first level, antique Greco-roman divinities parade by every day, atop chariots, to mark the
seven days of the week. Two cherubs with open wings sit on both sides of the face of the
clock on the upper level. The one on the left hits a gong at each quarter of the hour, the one
on the right holds an hourglass in his hands and turns it every hour. On the third level, the
four ages of life, symbolized by a child, an adolescent, a mature man and an elderly man, pass
every quarter hour in front of death represented by a skeleton. Finally on the fourth level, we
see Christ in front of whom the Apostles pass by, bow, and receive His benediction, while a
rooster spreads its wings and sings. Originally this scene would mark the twelve strokes of
noon. However, the priests, who were annoyed by the rapid departure of the faithful prior
to the end of the mass -- to admire the clock --, delayed the "presentation" until twelve thirty. |
|
| The Market Place
and the Covered Bridges |
During Medieval times, it was on this square that piglets were sold. It remains one
of the city’s more picturesque sites with its seventeenth and eighteenth century homes.
The most famous of these homes is situated at the number 1, with its chimney adorned with
a peculiar weather vane. It is not a rooster, or the four cardinal points that we traditionally
find perched a top French roofs, but a laced boot. Legend says that when the Emperor
Sigismond visited the city in 1414, the ladies invited him to a ball. However, having walked
for miles in the snow, his boots were in terrible shape. The ladies generously decided to offer
the Emperor a brand new pair of laced boots that they purchased at the boot maker’s store
located at the number 1 of the said square.
At this location the Ill River divides itself into many tributaries.
During the twelfth century, wooden bridges were built and reinforced
by three solid towers that were the first barriers to protect the city from
eventual invasions. The bridges are said to be covered because of the
immense roofs that were added in the sixteenth century. The roofs
disappeared in 1784, and the wooden bridges were replaced by stone
ones between 1860 and 1870. But the towers remain as a sign of a not
so glorious past. The Executioner’s Tower is made up of minuscule cells
where the condemned waited anxiously as their fate was decided. The names
they would engrave into the walls of the tower to kill time or to hide their
anguish are still noticeable. The French Tower was frequented by the soldiers
of François the First looking for gallant adventures. Finally the third tower,
said to be "of chains", served as a prison for the galley slaves waiting for their
transfer by way of the river.
|
|
| The Emblem of Alsace: the Stork |
|
For many centuries storks were part of the Alsatian scenery. Once very numerous,
they would return every year from Africa to announce the coming of spring in France. However
they have been on the decline in recent years. Luckily, efforts have been made to help the storks
return and make their nests in the Alsatian trees and roofs of homes. Mission accomplished, as
they now have returned more numerous than ever. Since the inception of stork parks, some never
leave, even during the winter months. This seems to please the Alsatian population. One must
realize that storks are the symbol of happiness and fidelity. As everyone knows, it is the stork
which brings babies wrapped in bundles, firmly held in their beaks. Alsatian custom says that
when a child wanted a younger brother or sister, he would place a piece of sugar on the window
sill to attract the stork, in hopes that it would leave the precious bundle in exchange. |
|
| Strasbourg: City of the Past, of Today and of the Future
|
Medieval city par excellence, Strasbourg is also a modern and innovative city.
It is here, in 1440, that Guttenberg perfected a new technique that would revolutionize the
means of communications: printing. Immediately after the war, in 1949, when the large Western
European nations felt the need for a European union, the city was chosen, naturally, to be the
seat of the European Council, and a building was built in 1950. Then, in 1976, the magnificent
European Palace was built to house the European Parliament. The two buildings are situated
in one of the most beautiful parks of the city, the "Orangerie Park". This park was designed
in honor of the visiting Empress Josephine. Today it is pleasurably used by
many strollers. Another point of interest not to be missed is the Human Rights Palace built in 1964.
A place to visit! Strasbourg is a city so rich in history and picturesque, yet totally modern.
It is absolutely a place to visit! It is also an excellent point of departure for the discovery
of the Alsatian vineyards or the rolling hills of the Vosges region where wine tasting
(in moderation) is a real pleasure. We recommend visiting this magnificent city and the
beautiful surrounding areas!
Would you like to read more about France?
Click here.
|
|
| |
 |
|
|
