Going Gothic in Alsace
The second-most visited church in France, the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Strasbourg is considered to be one of the finest examples of late-Gothic architecture
You really can’t miss the Cathédrale Notre-Dame if you go Strasbourg. In fact, you can see it from the Vosges Mountains or the Black Forest on the German side of the Rhine. Over its lifetime it has been sacked, bombed, expanded, appropriated, Roman, German, French, Protestant, Catholic, secular and who knows what else. Change is the cathedral’s only constant and even today extensive restoration and repair projects are keeping artisans in masonry, stained glass and ancient woodworking extremely busy.
The last of a series of consolidations and additions over more than four centuries was the construction of a spire that made the cathedral the world’s tallest building from 1647 to 1874. So, yes, impossible to miss. And why would you want to?
There’s a lot to see, both inside and outside the cathedral, including a museum that has recovered and preserved many artifacts, from carvings to painting to statues to rare architectural plans for the building dating back to the middle ages.
You can also climb the 332 stairs to the observation deck at the top of the bell tower, where Strasbourgeois families once-upon-a-time would gather for social gatherings every weekend.
I did both the museum and the bell tower today, so I put together a cheeky little video for you. I didn’t go in the main church itself due to a massive group of Chinese tourists queuing up in front of me. Maybe another day for the church, and for the Astronomical Clock, which every day at 12h30 set in gear a parade of animated figures to entertain the assembled masses.
Come join me in this short video intro to the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Strasbourg. Your company is always welcome!