 |
| 0711 Strasbourg - Little France; The covered bridges; Boating on the Ill |
Posted on 30.06.2013, 30.12.2017
Located on the Ill River, close to the border with Germany, actually historically German-speaking, as the entire Alsace, Strasbourg was built on the site of an ancient Celtic settlement (Argentorate), where Romans established a military outpost (Argentoratum). The town was occupied successively by Alemanni, Huns and Franks, and in the 9th century it was already known as Strazburg (the town at the crossing of roads). As major commercial centre, it came under control of the Holy Roman Empire in 923, in 1262 became an Imperial Free City, in 1681 was annexed by France, in 1871 by the German Empire, and after WWI reverted back of France.
 |
| 3228 Strasbourg - Little France |
Strasbourg's historic city centre, the Grande Île (Grand Island), surrounded by two arms of the River Ill, was designated a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1988, the first time such an honour was placed on an entire city centre. The cathedral, the four ancient churches and the Palais Rohan - former residence of the prince-bishops - form a district that is characteristic of a medieval town and illustrates town's evolution between 15th and 18th centuries, being simultaneously the eastward vector of the Gothic art movement.
The city has many bridges, including the medieval, four-towered Ponts Couverts (Covered Bridges), which have kept their name despite the fact that they lost their roofs back on the 18th century (up on the postcard). It is placed in Petite-France, which in the Middle Ages was the tanning-houses and slaughterhouses area. The name (Little France) wasn't given for patriotic reasons, but comes from the Hospice of the Syphilitic, built in the late 15th century to cure persons with syphilis, then called the "French disease". Built in 1572, the Maison des Tanneurs (in the left of the postcard) is an old tannery converted into restaurant in 1949 and renovated in 1972 on the occasion of the fourth centenary.
About the stamps
On the postcard 0711
About the blue Marianne et l'Europe, I wrote here.
On the postcard 3228
The first stamp, depicting Mecklenburg Lake Plateau, is part of the series Wild Germany, about which I wrote here. The last stamp is part of the series Blumen, about which I wrote here.
References
Strasbourg - Wikipedia
Strasbourg - Grande île - UNESCO official website
Maison des Tanneurs - official website
Sender 0711: Ana
Sent from Strasbourg (Grand Est / France), on 09.08.2012
Photo: Olivier Angen / Olivier Angen
Sender 3228: Edyta / Eda66 (postcrossing) FR-961383
Sent from Karlsruhe (Baden-Württemberg / Germany), on 19.12.2017
No comments:
Post a Comment