tip-no-169 | © Bert Schwarz 2022

Petite-France

highlight

Production : logo © 2022

... in the media center : logo

Petite-France is the town's bustling tourist center, known for its cobblestone streets, canals, and well-preserved half-timbered houses such as the 1572 Tanner House. A terrace atop the 17th-century Barrage Vauban, a covered bridge and weir, offers panoramic views. Alsatian restaurants abound in the area, and stores in and around Grand'Rue sell clothing and souvenirs such as tableware, wine, and specialty teas.

Petite-France, Place Benjamin Zix, Menschen an Tischen, Strasbourg | © Bert Schwarz 2022

River Ill is everywhere in Petite France. The neighborhood stretches across a river delta consisting of five arms. From a bird's eye view, they look like the fingers of a hand trying to grasp the whole city. But the Ill is a peaceful yet fast-flowing body of water that runs through the entire neighborhood. We stroll leisurely along the quays and enjoy the reflections of the old houses in the water.

Here at the Place Benjamin Zix we stay and just enjoy the beauty of this place. In the shade of the plane trees on this square, very busy in summer, we have a wonderful view of the river and an extraordinary row of half-timbered houses.

Petite-France, Ill, Häuser, Bootsanleger, Strasbourg | © Bert Schwarz 2022

From the Place Benjamin Zix we go to the Rue du Bain-aux-Plantes, where there are a number of remarkable half-timbered houses. In this former street of tanners, each house is white, highlighting the different shapes and sizes of the half-timbering and an additional roof, largely open, which was used for drying animal skins.

At the end of Rue du Bain-aux-Plantes is the Pont du Faisan, also known as the "Pont Tournant" (swing bridge). At this small pedestrian bridge can happen that you have to wait to cross it, because it has turned to let pass a pleasure boat. An incomparable attraction from the shore and from the boat.

Petite-France, Fachwerkhäuser, Strasbourg | © Bert Schwarz 2022

Nearby is the Saint Martin Bridge, a stone bridge with two arches and a single pier. From there you have a magnificent view of the mills, dams and locks, as well as a picturesque little terrace on the water.

These two bridges offer postcard-perfect views full of charm, so you can take home wonderful souvenir photos.

Here Ill river splits into its arms. It is an extraordinary place and one of the most famous sights of Strasbourg. The bridge and its three high and massive watchtowers are remains of the medieval city walls.

Petite-France, Ill, Saint-Martin-Brücke, Strasbourg | © Bert Schwarz 2022

In addition to the Covered Bridges, the Vauban Dam, built during the reign of Louis XIV by the prolific Maréchal, reinforces the defensive wall of the city, which was then completely walled. The dam has thirteen arches. When the dam was completely closed, the Ill could no longer flow in its bed, flooding all the land south of Strasbourg. The enemy armies could no longer move. From the panoramic terrace you have a magnificent view of the covered bridges, the Petite France and the Cathedral on one side and the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art and the Hôtel du département (district administration) on the other.