The Grande Île (german: Große Insel) is an
island that lies at the historic centre of the
city of Strasbourg in
France. Its name means "Large Island", and derives from the fact that it is surrounded on one side by the main channel of the
Ill River and on the other side by the
Canal du Faux-Rempart, a canalised arm of that river. Grande Île was named a
UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988.
At the time, the
International Council on Monuments and Sites noted that Grande Île is "an old quarter that exemplifies medieval cities".
Strasbourg Grand ile 495
/ref>Place Kléber
The Place Kléber (''Kleberplatz'' in German) is the central square of Strasbourg, France.
Place Kleber, the largest square at the center of the city of Strasbourg in the heart of the city's commercial area, was named after French revolutio ...
, the city's central square. Further south is Strasbourg Cathedral, the world's fourth-tallest church and an ornate example of 15th-century Gothic architecture. At the western end of the island is the quarter of Petite France, the former home of the city's tanners, millers and fishermen, and now one of Strasbourg's main tourist attractions.[ The Grande Île also houses the former fluvial customs house Ancienne Douane.
Besides the cathedral, the Grande Île is home to four other centuries-old churches: St. Thomas, St. Pierre-le-Vieux, St. Pierre-le-Jeune, and St. Étienne. Being the historical center of Strasbourg and the seat of local secular power, it also houses the city's most imposing 18th-century hôtels particuliers and palaces, including the Palais Rohan, the '' Hôtel de Hanau'' (now the city hall), '' Hôtel des Deux-Ponts'' (birthplace of Ludwig I of Bavaria and now home to the city's military governor), '' Hôtel de Klinglin'', ''Hôtel d'Andlau-Klinglin'', ''Hôtel de Neuwiller'', among many others. The island is also home to the Episcopal palace of the ]Archdiocese of Strasbourg
The Archdiocese of Strasbourg ( la, Archidioecesis Argentoratensis o Argentinensis; french: Archidiocèse de Strasbourg; german: Erzbistum Straßburg; gsw-FR, Ärzbischofsìtz Strossburi(g)) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdi ...
.[
To mark Grande Île's status as a World Heritage Site, 22 brass plates were placed on the bridges giving access to the island.][
]
Gallery
Absolute cathedrale Strasbourg facade 01.jpg,
Place Kléber by night.jpg,
L'Ill aux Lumières - rideau d'eau sous le Pont St Thomas.jpg,
Strasbourg rNuéeBleue 27e.JPG, Façade of former ''Hôtel d'Andlau-Klinglin'' (1725)
Strasbourg hotHanau-Lichtenberg36.JPG, Entrance to the courtyard of the city hall, former ''Hôtel de Hanau-Lichtenberg'' (1736)
Plaque Strasbourg grande île patrimoine mondial Unesco.jpg,
Strasbourg Petite France.jpg,
References
External links
UNESCO
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grande Ile, Strasbourg
River islands of France
Geography of Strasbourg
World Heritage Sites in France
Landforms of Bas-Rhin
Tourist attractions in Strasbourg