A few months ago I had the opportunity to visit Strasbourg in Eastern France. It is near the German border and has been fought over between Germany and France for such a long time. Since WW2 and its liberation from the Germans, by General Leclerc and the 2nd French Armoured division, it has been part of France (again). It's the different history, culture and even language that has always interested me in a visit. I was not disappointed.
Strasbourg is a major hub for European institutions, particularly the European Parliament. The centre of the city is a lively and historic place. Take a guided tour - you won't be disappointed. It has many hisyoric links to events and people I had not been aware of, such as Albert Schweitzer, Louis XIV, Mozart.
Strasbourg is located in North Eastern France and is a UNESCO World Heritage site famous for its architecture and pretty canals. It's also known as the Capital of Christmas because the festive markets are quite a drawcard, as are the decorations around town. There's a vibrant feel to the place, plenty of commerce, food, culture and I enjoyed wandering around
It became a French city in 1681, after the conquest of Alsace by the armies of Louis XIV. In 2016, Strasbourg was promoted from capital of Alsace to capital of Grand Est.
I really loved everything about this city.
The city has about three hundred thousand inhabitants the eighth-largest metro area in France and is home to 14% of the Grand Est region's inhabitants. Strasbourg is an important centre of manufacturing and engineering, as well as a hub of road, rail, and river transportation.The architecture is special to this area, showing the German influence and the old canals, well maintained, are very picturesque. I tried a local dish, the name of which escapes me but basically it was like a large torilla covered in cream, bacon and onion. There may have been cheese in it but whatever, it was yummy.
Of course there are plenty of important churches and the cathedral to visit. The cathedral is in need of restoration. The outside is very blackened but cannot be cleaned because the staining eminates from the actual stone - some sort of metal leaching through. Strucural repairs will be carried out.
There's also the part-Romanesque, part-Gothic, very large Église Saint-Thomas with its Silbermann organ on which both Wolgang Amadeus Mozart and Albert Schweitzer played .
Strasbourg is considered the legislative and democratic capital of the European Union (more on this in a future bogpost), while Brussels is considered the executive and administrative capital and Luxembourg the judiciary and financial capital.
The University of Strasbourg is currently the second-largest in France. Climate can be hot in summer and nippy in winter. The TGV serves Strasbourg- Paris - Germany and Switzerland. A trip by car from Chartres took a good 6 hours but the traffic jams near Paris accounted for rather too many of those hours.
In chronological order, notable residents of Strasbourg include these famous names:
This is not a cheap city to live in but if you are feeling affluent the shopping is good with quirky places to visit. Take a guided tour of the city. I would have liked more time to explore the brocant market under the trees, alas, not possible when on a walking tour.
This city often gets overlooked by tourists who only know of Paris, Bordeaux, Marseilles or Lyon but its very differences stand out. One day I would like to revisit it for a longer stay.
Built in the 16th century by Catherine de Medici, it became the primary royal residence for three hundred years, housing numerous monarchs and emperors. Over time the building was modernised and reorganised. However, it was burned down by the Paris Commune in 1871 and subsequently demolished in 1883.
I am always saddened when I remember how mobs during one of the revolutions set fire to it and its contents, thus destroying many wonderful works of art, furniture and better gardens.
As late as 2006 there were serious thoughts on reconstructing the palace as some furniture and paintings had been kept safe elsewhere from the Franco-Prussian war 1870 but a key player decided not to go ahead. Remnants exist in gardens in other countries such as Italy and Germany. There are also a couple of remnants in the current garden but I never found them
Originally designed in 1564 as an Italian Renaissance garden by Bernard de Carnesse, the Tuileries Garden was redesigned in 1664 by famous gardener Le Nôtre as a jardin a la française which emphasised symmetry, order, and long perspectives. With all the above in mind I decided to take a more detailed inspection of this former palace site on a stinkingly hot day in Paris.Just along from the Louvre, near the entrance to the Tuileries Garden, I saw a soaring flame, a relic of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. It is not a permanent display; President Macron decreed that it would appear every summer in the skies of Paris until the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
The design idea was to make the cauldron ascend into the Parisian skies. This was first achieved in the same location in 1783 when the world's first hydrogen-filled balloon was launched, some time after the first Mongolfier hot air balloon flew over Versailles and host Louis XIV nearly 100 years earlier.
Engineers this time in 2024 wanted a flame without fire or smoke. Suspended from
a giant helium balloon this 60m structure was powered by a single cable
transmitting electricity and water. It is designed to withstand normal
weather conditions but it is too fragile to be left out in winter.
The cauldron's flame is powered by a water mist lit by 40 LED spotlights. A safe way to create the illusion of fire and it is very effective. Three cubic metres of water are used per hour.
I spent the next two hours wandering under the very welcome trees, looking at the statues and rather a lot of hot, empty spaces where gardens and trees once stood for hundreds of years until annihilation in the 19th century. I had also hoped to see Claude Monet's waterlilies paintings on display at the Orangerie, at the far end of the Garden. Alas, although it was the first Sunday of the month and thus entry was free, you have to book a time in advance, so I was turned away.
There are a number of outdoor restaurants, and quite a few seats scattered around to relax and take in the sites. I availed myself of the latter. Statues ancient and modern are scattered about the 55 acres.
Above - the garden today. Below - the disaster of the Paris Communards and their destruction of the Palace. Like the doomed Christchurch Cathedral in New Zealand, a willingness to reconstruct was there but politics (even more than money) always got in the way of history and cultural treasures.
I lived for some years in Rambouillet when I first lived in France and soon learned of the town's connection to Napoleon via the Chateau and the Palais du Roi de Rome.
In Rambouillet, Napoleon Ier, wishing to have a small palace for his son near his occasional residence at the Chateau de Rambouillet, had the former Hotel of the Governor of Rambouillet transformed, built between 1784 and 1785 by order of Louis XVI. This small palace was for the use of the King of Rome (a title afforded to Napoleon's infant son), pending the construction of the immense
and grandiose palace on the hill of Chaillot, Paris. This later palace never evenuated due to Napoleon's fall from grace.
I had known of the sad life and tragic end of Napoleon Bonaparte's son (nicknamed l'Aiglon or little eagle) and had visited the garden of the little palace where the child grew up several times in my life in France. I always found it peaceful and pretty but sad. Recently I revisited it and was horrified to see the state of such an historic monument which is supposed to be looked after by the mayor and councillors of Rambouillet, a town I used to call home. The mayor is (still) the head of the French Senate so looking after this historic property is well within his abilites. He and the local council clearly don't seem to care much for this tourist attraction.
Its state is deplorable, the garden full of weeds, the plaque with a message for l'Aiglon is missing or covered in weeds, the fountain inoperable, garish modern toys for children to play on are set in part of the lawn - so ghastly given the context. The interior of the house is painted in such a way as to not detract from any art exhibitions but it contains no soul and not a trace of its former tragic inhabitant. The house houses a 'museum' of board games most of the time. No real info on l'Aiglon. Sad, sad, shameful. My daughter, who has
spent time in the garden would also be disappointed. You can see two photos of the same location here, just a few years apart to illustrate the sad decline and neglect.
I enjoyed looking at various artworks promoting art of the Chevreuse area but felt there was a lack of history and soul about the place. Parts of the stairs were crumbling. The building opposite, which had once been part of the complex, seems empty and abandoned with broken windows and pigeons flying in and out. Horrifying. Monsieur Larcher should be ashamed. I wrote in the visitors' book of
my disappointment.
Why does this property matter? It's not flashy, it's not furnished but it is a relic from a specific time in history, a rather momentous time and it illustrates a story that most people (including the French) don't seem to know. Doesn't anyone wonder why Napoleon Bonaparte's nephew took the title of Napoleon III? Where was number II? Well here's that sorry story...
On , Napoleon wrote a conditional abdication, reserving the succession rights of his infant son. On ,
Napoleon finally relinquished the crown for him and his descendants, but the Senate refused to keep the imperial regime in favour of a
restoration of the Bourbons (Louis 18th). The young Napoleon II did not become emperor
in , between the conditional abdication of and the unconditional abdication of . Napoleon bid farewell to his troops at Fontainebleau and left for the Island of Elba, off the Italian coast, refusing to allow his wife and son to join him. A convoy taking Empress Marie-Louise and her son to Vienna sailed on . Napoleon never saw his wife and son again.
As we know, Napoleon returned to France after a short time in exile and ex-military rallied to his cause. The Bourbons were unpopular, but the world was tired of all the wars. He was defeated at Waterloo when he and his marshall made tactical errors. This time abdication was permanent and he lived the rest of his life on a stony outcrop island off the coast of Africa: Saint Helena. There were no visits from his wife and son who were now living in Marie-Louise's home country of Austria. The boy was disappearing from history.
I suppose this is one reason why I have written this particular blogpost. You may say "poor little rich boy'' and you would be right. However, I still feel sad about any child who showed promise but whose circumstances wrecked it all. I find this particular aspect of the life of Napoleon sad and disappointing that neither he nor his wife made much effort to truly parent this little boy who was ripped away from his country and made to feel ashamed of his father.
L'Aiglon grew up never really knowing his father. His mother was not a good mother and was absent for most of his life as he reminded her of a past she wanted to forget. Instead he was brought up in the court of Francis I of Austria as a prince of the court, as Duke of Reichstadt.
The name of Bonaparte was hated and feared throughout Europe.
"Little
Napoleon is an object of disorder and fear for most European cabinets.
We must have heard the conversations of recent years, to know to what
extent the name of this child was angering and frightened even the most
skilful ministers and to be aware of everything they invented and
proposed to at least make one forget his existence. "
Napoleon II, renowned Duke of Reichstadt, nevertheless obtained permission to consult the great imperial library of Vienna so that he could re-learn French by reading the Letters of Madame de Sévigné. During this time he discovered his father by browsing works on the Napoleonic era and especially Memoires from Sainte Helene in which Napoleon would have featured.
Like his father he pursued a military career, but it occured in Austria, being estranged from the country of his birth. This handsome young man grew up not knowing his father and hardly seeing his mother, brought up as an Austrian prince "Franz" at court by his grandfather Francis I of Austria, thus hiding his identity but it was probable that he lead a rather lonely life where he didn't quite fit in.
His official army career began at age 12, in 1823, when he was made a cadet in the Austrian Army. Accounts from his tutors describe the son of Napoleon as intelligent, serious, and
focused. Additionally, he was very tall, having grown to nearly 6 feet
(1.8m) by the time he was 17.
Not long after rejoining his army post in 1832 he fell ill.
On , doctors admitted they could do no more, which is why Napoleon II bitterly said, "My birth and my death, that's my whole story. Between my cradle and my grave, there's a big zero." His mother, who was alerted, did not join him in Vienna until Sunday. He died on
The destiny of a young man who was proclaimed King of Rome at birth and whose father was Napoleon I might have included a vaste empire if his name had not become so poisonous. He died a simple Austrian prince, someone mysterious and touching who fascinated poets and whose name has maintained to this day a type of culte which saw in particular the return of his remains (l'Aiglon) to Paris as a Nazi public relations event. He is buried at Les Invalides now just below the sarcophagus of his famous father. His heart and intestines remain in Vienna to this day, which is traditional for members of the Habsburg family.
In an effort to improve his image in the eyes of the French in 1940, Adolf Hitler decided to repatriate the remains of the Aiglon to France. A
funeral and nocturnal ceremony were held in Les Invalides in Paris on the night of
the 14th to , in front of a handpicked audience. It coincided with one hundred years to the day after the return of the body of his father Napoleon I to Paris.
Napoleon II was technically "Emperor of the French"
for two weeks, when he was not in France. It was because of this short
reign of Napoleon II that Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte, nephew of Napoleon
I, proclaimed himself emperor of the French under the name of Napoleon
III.
During my most recent visit to this historic site in Rambouillet I enjoyed looking at an art display and also examples of ancient board games (note that New Zealand doesn't feature on the world map). This building is an official museum for old board games. The decor is just bland paint and gives no hint of its colourful past.
This sad story was made into a play: L'Aiglon is a play in six acts by Edmond Rostand
based on the life of Napoleon II, who was the son of Emperor Napoleon I
and his second wife, Empress Marie Louise.
Sources for images:
Heraldry Par Katepanomegas, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10525411
Photo of Franz Par Leopold Bucher — Malmaison, Musée national des châteaux de Malmaison et Bois-Préau, Domaine public, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7494834
Death bed Par Franz Xaver Stöber / D’après Johann Ender — Dorotheum, Domaine public, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=19168817
It was the 16th of April and I had tears streaming down my face as I watched live coverage of the conflagration consuming the cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris. In Paris, 12 hours behind, it was the 15th of April. The horrified gasp as onlookers lined along the Seine saw the spire with its gilded brass rooster collapse into the transcript. President Macron swore to local residents, citizens of France, tourists and the world watching that the cathedral would be restored, in just five years. And it was!
On my recent trip to France in blazing 37 degree heat I was determined to get to Paris to see the restored cathedral. I'm an atheist but I can appreciate such a monument to the skill and labour of thousands of artisans who, over the many centuries, built this amazing cathedral. I recognise it has played a part in so many historical moments.
The construction of the cathedral began in 1163 under Bishop Maurice de Sully and was largely completed by 1260 so it is close to 900 years old. It's a magnificent collaboration of stone masons, carpenters and metalworkers, artists having done such a massive job together over so many years, and the financial contributions of ordinary people.
Notre Dame is a prime
example of French Gothic architecture, known for its soaring height,
stained glass windows, and intricate detail. It contains relics such as the (supposed) crown of thorns and a splinter from Christ's cross. Hmm.
By the time Victor Hugo published his novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame in 1831 the cathedral was starting to crumble and no-one seemed to care but V. Hugo did. His book was such a success it brought international attention to the cathedral and highlighted its architectural beauty. Parisians started to appreciate the old monument and funds were raised to restore it, between 1844 and 1864, supervised by Eugene Viollet-le-Duc who is famous for designing the metal spire.
The last time I was inside this cathedral I couldn't help but notice how dark and grimy it was after centuries of soot and pollution had attached themselves to everything. Entering the monument now was so very different; so light, so sparkling and so colourful, as it would have been originally and which no other generations will have seen. The folks who have worked to restore the building have done an incredible job. Led initially by a retired general, old and traditional ways of doing things, and even an ancient oak stand (2,400 trees) cut down to restore the 'forest' inside the roof have all contributed to a very authentic restoration.
250 different companies and 2000 workers worked and collaborated in sequence over the span of the project because everyone was happy and proud to be contributing.
The day I visited there was a gregorian mass in progress which did limit how we could move about. However, with a bit of patience you could stay as long as you liked and see most things up front.
Of special note are the restored wooden sculptured freizes; they are gleaming with gilt and all telling part of a much larger story, the new chandeliers certainly caught my eye; the bronze absolutely sparkles, and what was particularly interesting were the side chapels with the painted columns and freshly cleaned stained glass. There were statues and artworks galore. The famous rose windows have survived, with careful cleaning and repair.
A few amazing renovation statistics to share:
2000 statues and decorative features were restored or re-created, 43,000 square feet of lead was shaped to cover the roof, all stained glass taken out, cleaned and restored. There are 1,500 new seats of solid oak. There's a programmable array of 1,550 LED spotlights that can vary in intensity and colour accordin to the event. The great organ survived the fire but had to be completely dismantled and cleaned and each of the 8000 pipes had to recalibrated, one by one.
The only section I didn't like was the garish stuff in the open souvenir shop, not even off to the side but right there in the middle near one end. Ghastly products, trinkets for the most part, in a circular desk design so once you entered it was hard to get out. I didn't bother and I think Jesus might not have been happy with tacky commerce in the middle of the cathedral. Oh well!
One thing I hadn't paid much attention to in the past was the massive door(s) which were opened flat so I could marvel at the beautifully intricate carving on them. And that's all worth noting because everywhere you look you can see surprising details, so much painting, sculpture and ironwork.
Through the centuries there have been a number of historic happenings at the cathedral, Here are some...
1239: Relics
Louis IV delivered what is perported to be the crown of thorns to the cathedral
1431: Coronation of Henry VI:
Henry VI of England was crowned King of France here, a significant event during the Hundred Years War.
1558 & 1572:
Several
royal weddings took place at Notre Dame, including those of Mary, Queen
of Scots to the Dauphin Francis, and Henry of Navarre to Margaret of
Valois
1789: Revolution
The cathedral became state property during the French Revolution and was later transformed into a Temple of Reason. A lot of its bronze and iron was melted down.
1804: Napoleon's Coronation:
Napoleon
Bonaparte crowned himself Emperor of France within Notre Dame, a
symbolic act that demonstrated his power and authority. The pope was present.
1853:
Eugénie de Montijo and Emperor Napoleon IIIwere married there.
1871 – In final days of the Paris Commune revolution the Communards prepared to burn the cathedral, but abandoned their plan since it would end up burning the crowded neighboring hospital for the elderly. They went on to burn down the Tuileries Palace.
1944:
The bells of Notre Dame rang out to celebrate the liberation of Paris from the Nazis near the end of World War II.
New precautions have been taken to protect Notre Dame from future fires. There are detecting systems and misting valves. Suction systems analyse the air and detect smoke and thermal cameras detect changes in temperature. Modernity has required advanced water, heating, electrical and communications systems be installed, discretely.
Accessing the cathedral is easier than I expected. One is supposed to book a slot online but I could never get through so I just turned up and hoped for the best. The zigzagging queues moved along quite well in the heat of the morning.
As I emerged from my visit I noticed public toilets (a rarity in Paris) just next to the square in front of Notre Dame so I made use of that for 2 euros. There's a woman on duty making sure things stay clean and tidy for toilet cusotmers. I did NOT see trinket-sellers, that was good and everyone was well-behaved.
The metro station to get out for the cathedral is Cite.
Look at all those lovely colours in the chapels. I did notice that only eight months after reopening there is wear and tear visible on some of the painted columns accessible to the public. Those protected by grills are fine. There
is still a lot of work to be done on the exterior of the cathedral,
including the gardens. These works are expected to be completed some
time in 2027.
Do check out the video links below; they are well worth watching.
My dream was to become a French citizen and live and work in France for the rest of my life. I am now a French citizen and member of the EU but circumstances made it impossible to stay so I'm back in New Zealand reinventing myself.
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