La Neustadt

As you cross the bridge from the cramped, medieval streets of the Grande Île, you are entering La Neustadt, or the 'New Town.' The contrast is immediate and profound. Suddenly, the narrow, winding alleys are replaced by grand,…

Welcome to the Place de la République, formerly known as the Kaiserplatz. This vast, circular square was the centerpiece of the Neustadt’s urban plan. …

Facing the Place de la République is the imposing Palais du Rhin, or the Palace of the Rhine. Originally built as the Kaiserpalast for Emperor Wilhelm the First, it was intended to serve as a residence for the German Emperor…

Walking toward the eastern edge of the Neustadt, we arrive at the Palais Universitaire. The German authorities believed that education was the key to integrating Alsace into the empire, and so they built one of the most…

Connecting the Place de la République and the University is the Avenue de la Liberté. This grand boulevard is where the wealth of the new imperial administration and the local bourgeoisie was most visibly displayed. …

As we move toward the northern reaches of the Neustadt, the architecture takes a dramatic turn toward the contemporary. We have entered the European Quarter. …

Just adjacent to the European Quarter lies the Parc de l’Orangerie, Strasbourg’s oldest and largest park. Originally designed in the late eighteenth century and expanded during the Neustadt period, it is the city's 'green lung.'…

Our journey through La Neustadt concludes back near the National Library, a building that houses over three million volumes and represents the intellectual bridge between French and German thought. La Neustadt is a place that…