Place de la République (“Republic Square”; former German: Kaiserplatz, “Imperial Square”) is one of the main squares of the city of Strasbourg, France. It is surrounded on three sides by five buildings only, of which none is residential: the Palais du Rhin, the National and University Library, the Théâtre national de Strasbourg, the Préfecture of Grand Est and Bas-Rhin, and the tax centerHôtel des impôts. All of these buildings are classified as monuments historiques. The fourth side of the square is devoid of buildings.
The building now housing the Théâtre national de Strasbourg (TNS) was originally built as the seat of the Parliament (German: Landtag) of Alsace-Lorraine. It was designed by August Hartel and Skjold Neckelmann in a radically different Neorenaissance style than Hermann Eggert’s, and built in 1888–1889. It is classified as a monument historique since 1992.
The Bibliothèque nationale et universitaire (BNU) was built from 1889 until 1895, also in the Neorenaissance style, again by Hartel and Neckelmann. It is classified as a monument historique since 2004.
This Baroque Revival building Hôtel des impôts was built from 1899 until 1902 by Ludwig Levy (1854–1907), the architect of the Great Synagogue of Strasbourg. It was originally used as the seat of several ministries: agriculture, infrastructure and finances. It is classified as a monument historique since 1996.
The Préfecture de la région Grand-Est et du département du Bas-Rhin (not to be confused with the residence of the prefect, the Hôtel du préfet) was built from 1907 until 1911, based on designs by Ludwig Levy. The façade was decorated with statues of lions by Alfred Marzolff. The building also housed ministries of Alsace-Lorraine. It is a more austere example of Baroque Revival architecture than its older counterpart. It is classified as a monument historique since 1996.
A work of art called Spirale Aby Warburg, le monument aux vivants (“Aby Warburg spiral, the monument to those who live”) by Luxemburgish artist Bert Theis (1952–2016) was installed on the square in 2002. It can be and is used as a bench.
Place de la République and the Grande Île city center are connected by the stone arch bridge Pont du Théâtre (1869–1870). That bridge was reinforced with concrete and partly modified in 1999–2000 in order to allow for the passage of the tramway.
