Sélestat and Strasbourg (week 35)Beacause Alsace has passed between the Holy Roman, French, and German empires, there are lots of battlefields and castles throughout the region. The castle Hohkönigsburg (or the Château du Haut-Kœnigsbourg in French) was originally built in 1147 but has been rebuilt, modified, and demolished several times over the centuries. The current edifice was commissioned by Kaiser Wilhelm II in 1900 to promote German cultural identity in Alsace, having only recently annexed the area. The noted medieval reconstructionist Bodo Ebhardt rebuilt the castle to match as nearly as possible the historical castle of 1618 (the start of the 30 Years' War). The castle has a tour circuit, showing the Kaiser's rooms in the donjon and the artillery platform. The views out over the surrounding area are very impressive as well.
The afternoon brought us into the old city of Strasbourg and its half-timbered houses. The first ever "city centre" to be designated as a UNESCO heritage site, it is located on islands in the River Ill. The ancient Cathédrale Notre Dame de Strasbourg is justly renowned - like Milan's, it is a vast open space inside. The differences end there, though. Whereas Milan's is a shining white block, Strasbourg's is brown; if Milan's is about sculpture, Strasbourg's is about stained glass, of which there is a startling amount. The latter also contains a famous astronomical clock (currently in its third iteration after clocks #1 and #2 stopped working). Originally, Strasbourg's islands were fortified, including the bridges; the remains of one set now only includes the bridges and their towers, while the full Vauban-designed bridge is intact and open to visitors. The terrace (roof) of the Barrage Vauban offers a nice view of the city.
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