Petite France is an area on the Grand Île, called the Venice of the North because of its narrow streets and canals. It is a delightful area to visit and it takes you back to Medieval Strasbourg.

In the Middle Ages the beautiful half-timbered houses were the homes of fishermen, millers and Tanners and indeed many of the streets bear the names of the crafts carried out here: Millers Street, Tanners Ditch and Lace Street, for example. The houses have the traditional tiered sloping roofs and hides were once hung up to dry on the topmost rafters.

In the late 15th century a hospice was built on the island for small-pox victims and later for French soldiers suffering from syphilis – which the German’s called the “French Disease” to stop the local girls sleeping with the soldiers! – Just an aside: at the same epoch the French called it the “Italian Disease”. The area became known as “Little France”, more out of derision than patriotism. The name stuck and today it is one of the most expensive areas of the city.

Just to the west of the area you can visit the Barrage Vauban – a weir that crosses the River Ill. It was built in 1686 by Jacques Tarade from the plans by Marquis Vauban. The weir has two storeys with wonderful sculptures on the main level. It has a roof terrace where you can take superb photos of Petite France.

One destination that should be on your “must see” list is the Place Gutenberg which lies in the center of medieval Strasbourg, not far from the Cathedral.

This large square is a favorite for locals and tourists alike as it has a lot of excellent cafés and restaurants. The Chamber of Commerce building occupies one side of the square and is easily recognizable with its Renaissance style, but with the sloping roof that is typical of Alsace, where winter snow is a way of life.

There is a 16th century hotel on the square where Arthur Young was staying when revolutionists destroyed the city’s magistrates records and where today art exhibitions are held on the ground floor. Another attraction is the flea markets that often set up around the statue in the center of the square.

This is a statue dedicated to Johannes Gutenberg; it was sculpted by David d’Angers in 1840 and features the famous printer holding a piece of parchment on which is inscribed the words “Et la lumière fut” (And behold, there was light) from the Book of Genesis. Around the base of the statue bas reliefs depict notable scenes from Gutenberg’s life.

Not many people know that apart from being the inventor of the first mechanical, movable printing press in Europe in 1439 and the publisher of the Gutenberg Bible in 1455, Gutenberg lived in Strasbourg between 1434 and 1444, where he was an apprentice goldsmith, set to follow in his father’s footsteps.

Place du Corbeau is located near the river Ill. In front of it there is the Corbeau bridge, which was the place from where criminals, locked in a cage, were dropped into the river. On the square stands the restaurant "Au Canon" which also contains within its premises an old brewery where the beer Kronenbourg was first brewed by Jérôme Hatt.

You will be pleasantly surprised to learn that when you go to see the museums of Strasbourg you can also visit the Rohan Palace, which houses most of them.

Since 1262 the Bishops of Strasbourg lived in a residence that became more and more dilapidated over the centuries and in 1731 the current Bishop, Cardinal Maximilien de Rohan commissioned a new building which was built by the architect Joseph Massol on the site of the ancient edifice.

It stands on the bank of the River Ill, a three sided building around an interior courtyard with the main entrance guarding the fourth side. The wing used as living quarters by the Prince-Archbishop has a Classic façade and the side facing the river has a small terrace enclosed by wrought iron railings. The courtyard gate leading to the Cathedral is topped by religious sculptures.

You can visit two areas of the palace – the Grand Apartment which houses the library that also serves as the nave to the palace chapel; the Petit Apartment faces the inner courtyard and comprises the living area and vast dining room.
Several kings and queens stayed in the palace, including Louis XV, Marie Antoinette, Charles X of France and Napoleon Bonaparte with his wife Josephine and later his second wife, Marie-Louise.

From 1872 to 1892 the University was installed in the palace and in 1898 it became the seat of the municipal museums of Strasbourg. It suffered heavy damage during the bombings of the Second World War and complete restoration was finished in 1994.

Until 1874 the Cathédrale Notre Dame was the tallest church in the world; today it is the 6th tallest and its tower dominates the Strasbourg skyline.

The ground on which this magnificent edifice stands has been used for religious purposes for over 3000 years: in 12 BC a Roman sanctuary was built here with shrines to at least three of their gods; when Christianity arrived in the region a temple to the Virgin Mary was built over the ruins of the sanctuary.

The 1st cathedral was built in the 7th century and was replaced by a larger one in the 8th century. This in turn was supplanted by another in 1015 Romanesque building with wooden naves, which burned down in 1176.

The cathedral you can visit and admire today took many centuries to finish and has three distinctive styles. Only the crypt dates back to 1015 and it has been expanded over the centuries.

The North Transept and the Quire were built in the Romanesque style. In 1225 the Gothic style was introduced by stonemasons from Chartres and the statue of the “Pillar of Angels” in the South Transept was sculpted during the same period. The famous West Front with its 1000’s of sculpted figures representing the saints, the martyrs and the Virtues is a magnificent example of the Gothic style.

The North Tower, built in 1439, is 142 metres high and on a clear day you can see for over 30km from the observation level. The Lawrence Portal in the North Transept was finished in 1505 in the Renaissance style.

Most of the statues in the cathedral are copies of the originals which can be seen the Museum de l’Oeuvre Notre dame. The stunning Astronomical Clock, built in 1843 to replace an earlier clock, is 18 metres high and is one of the largest in the world.

There are two good reasons for visiting the Maison Kammerzell on the Place de la Cathédrale: the first is because you won’t find a better preserved medieval building in the city, the second is because it has an excellent restaurant on the 1st and 2nd floors.

It was built in 1427 and although it has been renovated several times since and some German Renaissance style was added in 1589, it has kept its essential Late Gothic style and charm.

The restaurant has superb lounges and a choice of three dining areas with stained or mullioned glass windows. Above the restaurant there is a small hotel with nine bedrooms boasting modern bathrooms and fixtures and fittings, but they have heavily beamed ceilings and an air of stepping back in time.

In 1904 the brilliant but unstable Alsatian artist, Léo Schnug extensively decorated the interior with stunning frescoes depicting pastoral scenes, the city at the epoch and characters from German mythology.

Léo Schnug died in an institution for the insane, as did his father before him. A notorious alcoholic, towards the end of his life, before he was interned, he paid for his drinks with sketches and drawings that must be worth a fortune today.

The poor man was haunted by the hallucination of a cat and if you look carefully at the wall in the restaurant’s alcove on the 1st floor you will find the cat in the fresco.

Place de la Republique is located in the Strasbourg locality called "German District". The square is on the border between the historic city and the new one. Five prestigious buildings were erected here. Two of them are: the Parliament of Alsace-Lorraine (now the National Theater of Strasbourg), the Palace of the Emperor (now the Palais du Rhin), mixing different architectural styles (Italian Renaissance, Baroque, Classical).