It’s associated with worthy but dull European institutions like the European Parliament but Strasbourg is a fascinating historic city, writes Tomas Mowlam.

There’s been a town here since the Romans were trying to pacify the truculent German tribes. From the early medieval period it became a major centre of the Holy Roman Empire, and it’s weathered the religious upheaval of the Protestant Reformation, the Thirty Years War, fire and plague, the French Revolution and Allied bombing during WWII.

This makes it all the more amazing that the beautiful historic inner city known Grande Île (literally the Grand Island) has survived. In 1988 UNESCO classified the island as a World Heritage Site, and it’s still linked by the medieval stone bridges across the river to the rest of the city. Many of the traditional black timber framed and white walled German buildings have also survived the ravages of time, giving the town a historic feel.

These marvels however are all dwarfed by the huge sandstone gothic Cathedral of Our Lady. It stands 142 metres tall, towering over the skyline, and it took from 1176 to 1439 to build during the glory years of Gothic cathedral construction in Europe.

For a city of its size, Strasbourg has great selection of museums ranging from the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, with a huge number of Gustave Dore’s works, to the Archaeological Museum which displays thousands of finds from the original Roman settlements here.

But it’s not all museums and old architecture; the University of Strasbourg is the largest in France, and a sizeable student population, both French and international, keeps the town feeling young and vibrant with plenty of concerts and good nightlife.

Strasbourg: a surprising city, and well worth the drive.

Let P&O get you there; a crossing from Dover to Calais in a car with up to nine people starts from just £30.

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons

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