Every design for Strasbourg

Have you ever stood on the Grande Île and tried to decide whether you were in France or Germany? Strasbourg has belonged to both, more than once, and its history shows in every street.

That double heritage is what makes the city unlike any other. The Cathédrale Notre-Dame, rising from the heart of the island, is its great landmark; around it, the whole old centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. La Petite France, with its old houses along the water, keeps the feel of an earlier city, while the Neustadt district, built by the German authorities after the defeat at Sedan, adds broad avenues and grand public buildings. The Barrage Vauban still spans the water on the edge of the old centre. Today Strasbourg is the official seat of the European Parliament, a symbol of Franco-German reconciliation.

Look from the Barrage Vauban towards the cathedral spire above the rooftops of La Petite France and the whole story of the city fits into a single view. That is reason enough to keep it close.