Place de la République

The Place de la République is located close to the historic quarter of Strasbourg, in the Neustadt neighbourhood (which means "new" in German). Before the return of Strasbourg to France, Neustadt was the area that linked the old and new towns together.

Within the square, there are several important buildings and, in the centre, there are some open green spaces that you can wander through, as well as some interestingly trimmed bushes and sculptures. In spring and summer, they decorate this area with lots of flowers, which makes it even prettier, so it's nice to visit the square from time to time to see it. The square itself is of a standard size and is built around a circular garden. The Place de la République is one of my favourite squares in Strasbourg, as I see it as being very French. However, this is ultimately a reminder of the German Empire from the time when Strasbourg was not controlled by the French.

The buildings located in the square are the following:

Le Palais du Rhin

An imperial palace that the German emperor would stay in during his visits to Strasbourg, which were said to be very short and meant that the palace had cost too much money for its infrequent usage. I think that the building is of a Neo-Renaissance style.

La Bibliothèque nationale et universitaire (BNU)

This is the second-largest library in France and is home to 55 kilometres of bookshelves. In my opinion, it's a beautiful Neo-Renaissance building, which excites you to go inside to study and lose yourself among the vast amount of books that it has. During my Erasmus exchange here in Strasbourg, it was under construction and I couldn't actually go inside, but I was left feeling very eager to go back when the works were completed.

Le Théâtre national de Strasbourg

This theatre straddles two streets, and if you have a Carte Culture, you can go and see a performance there for just 5. 50€. It is situated just next to the Bibliothèque nationale, on the other side of the road. I saw Hamlet there, but I wasn't very impressed as it was in Dutch (at least there were French subtitles) and, in my opinion, it was too modern. My Erasmus friends went to see it with me, and seeing their incredibly bored faces made me feel bad, but we did laugh a lot so not all was lost.

Aside from these majestic buildings, there is also a statue in the middle of the square that depicts a mother crying for her two sons that have fought and, sadly, died in the conflict over the former empire of Alsace-Lorraine. However, each child is from a different country: one from France, and the other from Germany. The inscription is very short, but I don't think much more really needs to be said. This war memorial was inaugurated in 1936 by the Republic's president at the time, Albert Lebrun. It's a very moving piece, one that's of a classical style, and I think that it gives a very special touch to the square, and even more so when you think about everything that it represents.

In the street that separates the library from the theatre, you will also be able to see an old building that is quite large and elegant. We were always asking if it was an important building or not, but no! In fact, it is actually just the post office building - La Poste.

You can get to the square on foot, by bike, or by catching the bus or tram. The closest tram stop is called "République" and is served by lines B, C, E and F.