Strasbourg (France)

...is Strasbourg?===

Strasbourg is in the North East region of France in Alsace which is on the border with Germany. It has a chequered history in that it has been at different times throughout history either in Germany or in France. It is currently of course in France. The region has its own dialect of French known as Alsacien with a combination of French and German words.

Getting to Strasbourg can be an absolute nightmare ...
.../>
By Road: Strasbourg is at the end of the very useful motorway system in France either the A4 A34 E25 or N4 N34 and from Germany E52 on their extensive road networks.

===Driving times===

Paris 4 and a half hours
Frankfurt 2 hours
Stuttgart 1 and a half hours
Calais 8 hours

===By Rail.=== Strasbourg is serviced by high speed trains from Gare du L’Est in Paris or from Frankfurt ... more

Strasbourg Cathedral.

Where is Strasbourg?

Strasbourg is in the North East region of France in Alsace which is on the border with Germany. It has a chequered history in that it has been at different times throughout history either in Germany or in France. It is currently of course in France. The region has its own dialect of French known as Alsacien with a combination of French and German words.

Getting to Strasbourg can be an absolute nightmare from the UK involving changes of planes either at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris or Frankfurt am Mein in Germany. Ryan air fly to Baden Baden- Karlsruhe not too far away in Germany after Air France objected to them flying into Strasbourg. Air France no longer offers direct flights from the UK.

By Road: Strasbourg is at the end of the very useful motorway system in France either the A4 A34 E25 or N4 N34 and from Germany E52 on their extensive road networks.

Driving times

Paris 4 and a half hours
Frankfurt 2 hours
Stuttgart 1 and a half hours
Calais 8 hours

By Rail.

Strasbourg is serviced by high speed trains from Gare du L’Est in Paris or from Frankfurt in Germany. It is a major hub for other European travel.

By Bus

Eurolines travels directly to Strasbourg en route to Switzerland from London Victoria over night and takes about 12 hours in total but it is a probably the cheapest option.

The Cathedral of Notre Dame of Strasbourg

.

Strasbourg Cathedral is situated in the very heart of Strasbourg on the Ile de la Cite and is a focal point of interest for many visitors to this delightful city. Most visitors to the city will end up in the huge open square in front of the beautiful cathedral at some point and won’t be disappointed by the medieval architecture surrounding and this gothic building. There are open air restaurants in front of the cathedral which of course as one would expect are extremely expensive but the views of the cathedral are spectacular and you could quite easily spend an hour or so watching the hustle and bustle goings on in the square. If you want a cheaper meal nip down one of the side streets to the little restaurants who serve lovely selections of foods.

It is here in this square in front of the cathedral that the annual Christmas Market is held known as the Christkindelsmärik or Marche de Noel. It is one of the oldest Christmas markets in the world and has been held around the cathedral since 1570. The market takes place between the 24th November and the 24th December. It is always brightly lit up with lots of stalls selling hand made.Christmas decorations and piping hot gluwein and lovely eats abound.

The earliest beginnings

.

There have been a number of buildings built on this site since around the Roman invasions of the city where the first building was a roman temple but as they had been built of wood they have burnt down at various times. There are the foundation remains under the Cathedral of a previous cathedral which has been built over. The currant cathedral was constructed in the 12th century with sandstone brought to Strasbourg from the Vosage Mountains near by. The colour of the stone is of a reddish brown hue. At one stage the Spire at the cathedral was the tallest structure in the world and today it is still in the record books as being the sixth tallest church in the world.

Looking towards the cathedral from the square there is a great big rose window in the middle of its wonderful façade. The façade is covered with hundreds of carved statues of Saints and angels. There are some delicate carvings all over the front of the building making it very photogenic and a delight to see.

Entering into the cathedral you will notice how dark it is inside in certain areas of the church. It always seems quite noisy to me inside the cathedral with a constant stream of visitors. Once inside the cathedral is quite stunning to look at and appreciate the vast cavernous nave and chancel of the cathedral. Over the centuries it has passed from catholic worship to protestant and back to Catholic. During the last world war the coloured windows were removed and stored in a mine to protect them from damage. The cathedral did receive some minor damage during the 2nd world war. Some of the very old coloured glass is stored in the museum next door to the cathedral.

The viewing platform.

.

The viewing platform at the cathedral involves mounting 300 hundred steps but once you reach the top you are afforded such wonderful views of the surrounding area it is well worth the effort. You can see for up to 30kms or 20 miles away right into Germany and out towards the Vosage Mountains. Looking over the square below people appear to be quite tiny. The spire of the cathedral is very high and you can see if from all approaches from outside the city. The spire makes it the 6th tallest church in the world at 142 metres high. There was an attempt to get rid of the tower at one stage of its long history but the locals revolted against its destruction. There is only one tower which is quite distinctive in its appearance as it has many carvings up the side of it and almost stands defiantly over the city acting as a reassuring site over the city and almost of a warning of defiance to potential invaders.

The astrological clock.

The most important item in the cathedral which is very famous is the astronomical clock found in the South transept. It is not very well lit up and people have to put a Euro in a machine for it to be illuminated. However it is a spectacular piece of mechanical engineering featuring many different uses. The original clock was built in 1352 but after two years the church changed hands into the Catholic Church and worked abruptly stopped. Work recommenced in 1571 and it worked to the end of the 18th century it is no longer in the Cathedral but in the museum of decorative art in Strasbourg. The building of the currant clock you can see today started in 1838 and it is incredibly accurate. It is 18 metres tall and depicts the following information leap years, the equinox and worked out when Easter would arise utilising the Gregorian calendar. Not only does it display the time but also the day the month and the year also phases of the moon, eclipses both lunar and solar, time of sunrise and sunset, tides and accurately plots whereabouts of the sun and moon in the zodiac signs in the Gregorian calendar, Julian Calendar GMT and local time even day light saving and where they are in the constellation. It is a phenomenally complicated time piece which is extremely accurate.

Not only this clock is superbly designed with moving figures and set figures on its front. The clock is coloured gold and made of wood. On the half hour of twelve one of the statues rings a bell and a parade of figures and the planets move into different positions throughout the day. The 12 apostles parade in front of Christ. There are moving statues representing the stages of life from child, teenager, man and old man parading before death. There is the sound of a cock crowing too. One of the figures even turns over an hour glass. This display starts at exactly 12:30 but you need to get there 10-15 minutes before as it is a major source of interest and you may not get to see it if you are a couple of minutes late.

I believe that there were only four such clocks made like this one of them is in Prague and another is in Germany somewhere I can not remember where and it is said that the person who designed the clock had his eyes gauged out so that he could never reproduce another clock of such magnificence.

WARNING

Even though this is a house of God and the most unlikeliest place you would think this would happen but the devils hands make light work and it is renowned for pickpockets because you are absorbed into the wonderful display. So do please be careful of your wallets and valuables.

Dancing plague.

In 1518 a woman began dancing in the streets but this was no ordinary dance she could not stop dancing and eventually this spread to other people eventually killing four hundred people who had the dancing sickness due to heart attack, stroke or exhaustion. This is mentioned in the cathedral records and written sermons of the time. It is interesting in that there have been a variety of possible causes ranging from egotism. Ergot is a mould found in the rye in the bread which acted as a psychogenic drug causing hallucinations, delirium and erratic behaviour or possibly St. Vitas dance or Sydenham’s chorea. Today it would possibly have been put down as a case of mass hysteria. However it seems that there was extreme fear on the faces of the victims so it was not as if they could stop it voluntarily.

Opening times

09:00AM to 19:30.PM
Between June and August it is open to 22:00 on Friday and Saturday
On the first Sunday of the month it is free entrance.

Cost of entry.

To the cathedral.
Adult 4,40 Euros.
Child 2.20 Euros.

The viewing platform.
Adults 3 Euros
Child 2.20 Euros

The Astrological clock.

1 Euro.

 

...less