Cathédrale Notre Dame

Strasbourg cathedral is impossible to miss seeing as it's practically seen from every panoramic part of the city and from many of the same points. It is found in the historical centre of Strasbourg.

It's called "Notre Dame" and it started being built in 1015 and was completed in 1439, so soon it will have it's 1000th birthday! The cathedral is a Gothic style building as you can see in the photos.

The platform of the cathedral measures 66 metres in height, and the spire measures 132 meters, so together with the rest of the 10 meters in height which the tower measures, the cathedral measures a total of 142 meters. In fact, it was the tallest cathedral in the world until 1874.

The main façade on the outside is characterised by three key elements:

• The three doors
• The rose window
• The gallery of the apostles

The cathedral has a central door which is the biggest door out of the three, the other two are on either side of the central door. The three of them all have the same style but the main one is my favourite. It has an arc which is just raised off the floor and completely decorated with figures and very fine towers which go up to the rose window that sits just on top; this arc represents the passion of Christ. On the left you will find the North door that represents the virtues overcoming the vices (something like that was explained to me) and on the right hand side, the South door which is adorned with the wise virgins and the foolish virgins.

Its rose window, which is some 15 meters in diameter, it's also one of the biggest Gothic rose windows on the European continent. It's very beautiful and majestic, especially when seen from the inside of the cathedral as it gives off a coloured light.

The gallery of the Apostles is found just above the rose window. The 12 figures of the apostles are in a line in the centre of the cathedral and are standing in little arcs. At first, people aren't usually sure what they are, so it's better to find out information about all the important monuments before going to visit them or go with a tour guide.

The interior is also marvellous, so you must go inside. I am more of a fan of the outside of cathedrals and churches, but I also liked the inside quite a lot. The things that stood out the most were the organ, the pulpit, the angel and the astronomical clock. I also really like the side aisles because of their height and the tranquillity whilst walking up there.

• The organ: it's very big and it stands out in the upper part of the interior of the cathedral. It doesn't just stand out because of its size, but also for it's decorations and beauty.
• The pulpit: it's a stone construction and it is considered one of the best Gothic style pulpits.

• The astronomical clock: dates back to the Renaissance (16th century) and is very beautiful. It is found on the right hand side of the are where the choir sits. Its mechanism is interesting and strange to see; it's unique and it was built as a tool for a scientific theory. The system of figures is put into operation at 12:30 midday and it starts "the parade of the apostles".

• The pillar of angels: it's next to the astronomical clock. It's a work of art in regards to vertical constructions. It consists of a pillar with 12 sculptures of religious people arranged in a vertical form up the pillar and on the high point stands Christ. (It is seen in the photo of the clock)

In this area, on the floor, there is a square grill in which you can throw money which then goes into an underground space. Furthermore, on one of the walls, there is a memorial to the fallen American officers and soldiers who liberated Strasbourg. There are a lot more details and secrets which I didn't have time to discover, so with each visit you see something new.

You can go up to the panoramic terrace by the belltower, I would recommend it as you see some magnificent views of the city. To get up there, you have to climb more than 300 steps and there is no elevator, but it's worth it. From the top, Strasbourg looks like a medieval city and you can see the layout of the streets, the roofs of houses and in the distance you can see the Black forest and the rest of Alsace. You can only stay up on the terrace for a limited amount of time because when one group of people leaves, another one comes up, and although I didn't like that, it's normal because without a lift, they have to organise the groups well to prevent any squabbles.

The exterior of the cathedral has to be seen from different perspectives. One of the perspectives is the street that goes from Guttemberg square to the square where the cathedral is situated because the façade is nestled in between a narrow street. Another reason to see the façade from below is to appreciate its immensity - what's more, don't forget to see the cathedral from the sides, and of course, from the different panoramic viewing points from which you can always see part of the façade and the tower. I passed by the cathedral hundreds of times and it never stopped leaving me astounded; in fact, I think I was surprised more each day. At night, it's a little scary and has a characteristic orange hue.

During Christmas time you can go to the Christmas market that is in the main parts of the city, and of course, in the cathedral square. The image of the market is striking, with lots of little wooden stalls in the cathedral square and with the majestic cathedral crowning the scene, it's without a doubt the best image of the "marché du Noël". As I said before, the square is small and the cathedral is very tall so the market is very cosy; furthermore, it's accompanied by a large quantity of lights in the streets and decorations which are in all the major buildings, there are things like a giant gingerbread cookie in the tourism office which is in the same square. All of this is accompanied by the smell of mulled wine, Christmas music and a lot of tourists. What's more, inside the cathedral on one of the walkways, you can see a nativity scene that is quite pretty and whose statues are big and well sized.

The entrance fee to the astronomical clock costs 2€ and to go up to the bell tower costs 5€, but on the first Sunday of each month, it's free! My friends and I took advantage of the last free Sunday before we had to leave Strasbourg and went up the bell tower, we almost didn't go since the Erasmus placement goes by so quickly and you find yourself leaving things until it's too late to do them, so take advantage of your free time!

The entrance fee to the astronomical clock includes the "projection of the apostles" which starts at 12 and then at 12:30 you can see the clock working.

The entry times to the platform are from the 1st April until the 30th September from 9 in the morning until 7:15pm and then from the 1st October until the 31st of March from 10 in the morning until 5:15pm. It is closed on the 1st January, the 1st May and the 25th December.

It's one of my favourite cathedrals and everytime I went into the city, I would continue to admire it. Furthermore, when it's cold, it's a good place to warm yourself up, and I say that from experience.