Saint-Louis-lès-Bitche in Lorraine

15 February 2024 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  4 minutes

Saint-Louis crystal glass manufacturer © Gryffindor/cc-by-sa-3.0

Saint-Louis crystal glass manufacturer © Gryffindor/cc-by-sa-3.0

Saint-Louis-lès-Bitche (literally St. Louis near Bitche; German: Münzthal; Lorraine Franconian: Minzdal) is a commune in the Moselle department of the Grand Est administrative region in north-eastern France.   read more…

Clairvaux Abbey in Ville-sous-la-Ferté

25 December 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  10 minutes

Clairvaux Abbey, from 1808 to 2022 Clairvaux Prison © KBWEi

Clairvaux Abbey, from 1808 to 2022 Clairvaux Prison © KBWEi

Clairvaux Abbey (Latin: Clara Vallis, “bright valley”) was a Cistercian monastery in Ville-sous-la-Ferté, 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) from Bar-sur-Aube. The original building, founded in 1115 by Bernard of Clairvaux, is now in ruins; the present structure dates from 1708. Clairvaux Abbey was a good example of the general layout of a Cistercian monastery. The abbey has been listed since 1926 as a historical monument by the French Ministry of Culture. From 1808 until 2022, the grounds were occupied and used by Clairvaux Prison, a high-security prison.   read more…

Morimond Abbey in Haute-Marne

21 May 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  7 minutes

Reproduction of a 1789 plan of the abbey © Frédéric BRICE/cc-by-sa-3.0

Reproduction of a 1789 plan of the abbey © Frédéric BRICE/cc-by-sa-3.0

Morimond Abbey is a religious complex in Parnoy-en-Bassigny, Haute-Marne department, in the Champagne-Ardenne region of France. It was the fourth of the four great daughter abbeys of Cîteaux Abbey, of primary importance in the spread of the Cistercian Order, along with La Ferté to the south, Pontigny to the west and Clairvaux to the north.   read more…

Place de la République in Strasbourg

28 April 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  7 minutes

© Zairon/cc-by-sa-4.0

© Zairon/cc-by-sa-4.0

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 center Hôtel des impôts. All of these buildings are classified as monuments historiques. The fourth side of the square is devoid of buildings.   read more…

Illhaeusern in Alsace

27 April 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  3 minutes

© Bernard Chenal/cc-by-sa-4.0

© Bernard Chenal/cc-by-sa-4.0

Illhaeusern (German: Illhäusern) is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Grand Est in north-eastern France.   read more…

Eguisheim in Alsace

25 April 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  5 minutes

© Svein-Magne Tunli - tunliweb.no/cc-by-sa-4.0

© Svein-Magne Tunli – tunliweb.no/cc-by-sa-4.0

Eguisheim is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. It lies in the historical region of Alsace. The village lies on the edge of the Ballons des Vosges Nature Park, where the Vosges meet the Upper Rhine Plain. Eguisheim is about 7 kilometres (4 mi) from Colmar.   read more…

Riquewihr in Alsace

15 April 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  4 minutes

© flickr.com - Pug Girl/cc-by-2.0

© flickr.com – Pug Girl/cc-by-2.0

Riquewihr is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. A popular tourist attraction for its historical architecture, Riquewihr is also known for the Riesling and other wines produced in the village. Riquewihr looks today more or less as it did in the 16th century. It is located on the Route des Vins (The Wines Road), close to Colmar.   read more…

Strasbourg Cathedral

8 April 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  6 minutes

The west front © Claude Truong-Ngoc/cc-by-sa-3.0

The west front © Claude Truong-Ngoc/cc-by-sa-3.0

Strasbourg Cathedral or the Cathedral of Our Lady of Strasbourg (French: Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Strasbourg, or Cathédrale de Strasbourg, German: Liebfrauenmünster zu Straßburg or Straßburger Münster), also known as Strasbourg Minster, is a Catholic cathedral in Strasbourg, Alsace, France. Although considerable parts of it are still in Romanesque architecture, it is widely considered to be among the finest examples of Rayonnant Gothic architecture. Architect Erwin von Steinbach is credited for major contributions from 1277 to his death in 1318, and beyond through his son Johannes von Steinbach, and his grandson Gerlach von Steinbach, who succeeded him as chief architects. The Steinbachs’s plans for the completion of the cathedral were not followed through by the chief architects who took over after them, and instead of the originally envisioned two spires, a single, octagonal tower with an elongated, octagonal crowning was built on the northern side of the west facade by master Ulrich von Ensingen and his successor, Johannes Hültz. The construction of the cathedral, which had started in the year 1015 and had been relaunched in 1190, was finished in 1439.   read more…

Neustadt in Strasbourg

5 April 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  8 minutes

Palais du Rhin © Chabe01/cc-by-sa-4.0

Palais du Rhin © Chabe01/cc-by-sa-4.0

The Neustadt (German for New Town) is a district of Strasbourg, Bas-Rhin, France. In 2017, the heart of the district was listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, as an extension of the site including the older city centre (Grande Île) and Strasbourg Cathedral. The district is a unique example of city planning, merging the Haussmannian model with elements of German architecture and urban planning.   read more…

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