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Strasbourg
France Vacation

Notre-Dame Cathedral of Strasbourg
The most beautiful and famous of monuments of the Alsace region...

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The Pillar of Angels
It appears to be so fragile yet magnificent with its towering...

The Astronomic Clock
Truly an architectural and technical feat...
The Market Place and the Covered Bridges
It remains one of the city’s more picturesque sites with its seventeenth and eighteenth century homes...
The Emblem of Alsace: the Stork
They would return every year from Africa to announce the coming of spring in France...
Strasbourg: City of the Past, of Today and of the Future
Medieval city par excellence...
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Strasbourg France

Strasbourg 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.

Strasbourg, The Silver City
Strasbourg France

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.

Strasbourg
Recipe for May 2002
Flammenkücke
Strasbourg
An Alsatian Meal!
Preparation Time: 60 mn
6 Servings
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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.
Strasbourg France

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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.

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The Astronomic Clock
Strasbourg France 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
Strasbourg France
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!

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