Today is the feast day of St Arbogast of Strasbourg, patron saint of the city of Strasbourg, largest city of the Grand Est region of northeastern France and the official seat of the European Parliament. 10 things you might not know about Strasbourg.
Until the fifth century AD, the city was known as Argantorati, which is derived from the Gaulish words for Silver and fortified enclosures. It then became known as Strasbourg, which means 'town (at the crossing) of roads'.
If you’re thinking that the name sounds more German than French, that’s probably because Strasbourg has changed hands between France and Germany five times since 1681. This is reflected in the culture of the city where French cafes serving escargots sit beside German Beer gardens, and Alsatian, a Germanic dialect, is spoken widely along with French.
It is home to the oldest Christmas market in the world (dates back to 1570 when it began as a market to celebrate St Nicholas. When Strasbourg became Protestant in the 16th century, they rebranded it as a Christmas market) and the oldest barrel of white Wine which is even older, dating to 1472. It is located in the cellars of the Strasbourg Hospices and only sampled on the most special of occasions, the most recent being in 1944 to celebrate the liberation of Strasbourg.
It has more Bridges than any other city in France (more than 230).
From 1439 to 1874, Strasbourg cathedral was the tallest building in the world, with its single spire rising to 142 metres. It is visible from the Vosges Mountains or the Black Forest on the other side of the Rhine on clear days. It is a distinctive colour because it is made from sandstone.
The French national anthem, "La Marseillaise" was first sung here, not in Marseille. Its composer, Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle, an army officer stationed in the city, wrote it in a single night during the French Revolution. Originally titled War Song for the Army of the Rhine, it was adopted by volunteer revolutionaries from Marseille, hence its current name.
Notable people who once lived here include Johannes Gensfleisch, better known as Gutenberg, who was a resident between 1434 and 1444. There is evidence that it was here that he began building his printing press. Another famous resident was Antoine de Saint-Exupery, who wrote The Little Prince. He was here to learn to fly. Aged 21 and with financial help from his mother, he spent three months in Strasbourg taking flying lessons, leaving with his pilot’s licence in 1921.
The siege of Strasbourg took place from 13 August to 27 September 1870. It was one of the first sieges to massively affect a civilian population, with around 200,000 shells fired at it by the Prussian army. 8 of these shells can still be found embedded in the town's facades.
Four sections of the Berlin Wall can be found in Strasbourg, in the gardens of the European Court of Human Rights to be exact. Erected in 1961 during the Cold War, the Berlin Wall represented separation; here it symbolises the freedom and unity of Europe.
Strasbourg is the unofficial Stork capital of France. In the 1970s, storks were on the brink of extinction in the region, but there was a successful reintroduction programme, and Strasbourg now boasts a thriving stork population.
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