Travel

Petite France & The Half-Timbered Houses of Strasbourg

By Laura Orange

Strolling along the old cobblestone streets of Petite France neighborhood in Strasbourg is like walking into a fairy-tale. The half-timbered houses are on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list together with all the other fascinating attractions on Grande Ile of Strasbourg, including the magnificent Notre-Dame Cathedral.

But the name of the neighborhood is way less romantic than it sounds and has nothing to do with the French sense of patriotism. Petite France comes from the "hospice of the syphilitic", which was built in the 15th century on the island. Back then, Germans used so call syphilis the "French disease", hence the name of Petite France.

It is here were the River Ill splits up into a series of canals that cascade among the beautiful, mostly white houses connected by interesting bridges. Our first contact with Petite France was from the guided boat tour we took on our first evening in Strasbourg, though it surely wasn't our last.

The Batorama boat tour starts just down the street from the cathedral, passes through Petite France, offers some interesting views of the covered bridges, the imperial quarters and ends with a visit of the European Parliament and the European Court of Human Rights from the water. Nevertheless, our favorite part of the tour was just before entering Petite France, when we saw the dam in action. The fact that we could feel the water level lowering under the boat, was pretty awesome.

Back in the Middle Ages, the buildings of Petite France used to be tanning and slaughterhouses. However, nowadays, they host restaurants and fine shops (including a Christmas shop opened all year round), as the tourist industry is booming around them.

Walking the streets of Petite France surely was one of our favorite things to do in Strasbourg. Apart from being incredibly romantic, we also found great photographic opportunities there.

We visited Strasbourg in collaboration with Strasbourg Tourism Board. For the purpose of this article we took the Batorama boat tour included in the Strasbourg Card. Nevertheless, all opinions are entirely our own and based on our personal experience.

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