Strasbourg

placed in the category: Cities

Strasbourg is Alsace region's capital in Northeastern France. It is where several important European institutions are based. Some of these are the European Court of Human Rights, European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines, and the European Parliament.

Strasbourg's importance also stretches to engineering and manufacturing, and even to the field of rail, river and road communications.

You will also find in the office of the Central Commission for the Navigation on the Rhine in the city of Strasbourg. The Port in Strasbourg is the second largest after Duisburg, Germany in terms of size. In the center of the city, you will find what is called the Grande Île ("Grand Island"). It was classified as a World Heritage site by the UNESCO in 1988. This was the first time this kind of distinction was bestowed to a whole city center. Strasbourg sits by the Ill River and is within the Rhine Valley.

It is protected from the winds by the Vosges Mountains and the Black Forest, keeping it safe from storms. But because of these barriers it can get very warm during the summer months. Since the air in this city seems to stay in the valley, this city is one of the most polluted cities in France. Steps are currently being taken towards the elimination of most heavy industry by the riverbanks of the Rhine in order that pollution is lessened.

One of the main sites in the city is the sandstone Gothic Cathedral with the renowned astronomical clock on its tower, the Cathedral Strabsourg. There are also many other medieval churches and houses found in the city that survived the destruction of World War II.

Around the cathedral, Strasbourg's black and white timber-framed buildings, especially the ones on the Petite-France district beside the Ill, are beautifully quaint. The famous squares and streets around the cathedral are where Maison Kammerzell (Kammerzell House) can be found. This is one of the most famous buildings in Strasbourg. As one example of medieval civil housing which mirrors late Gothic Architecture, the Kammerzell House is one of the most well-preserved buildings among those in areas which formerly belonged to the Holy Roman Empire.