Place de la République (Strasbourg)
The Place de la République (former German name: Kaiserplatz ) is one of the central squares of the city of Strasbourg in Alsace in eastern France . The square, which was laid out at the end of the 19th century, connects the historic old town with the imperial new town and is lined with some of the remarkable buildings of this period. Today it is also one of the transport hubs of the Strasbourg tram and serves as a link between the city and its northern suburbs.
history
The square was built between 1883 and 1887 as part of the redevelopment of the city of Strasbourg: This had belonged to the German Empire since 1871 and became the capital of the new empire of Alsace-Lorraine , which was also to be shown architecturally by the construction of a new, monumental district, the Neustadt, in the administrative facilities, apartments for civil servants and bourgeoisie as well as the university were located. The monumental "Kaiserplatz" was the starting point of this district and was named after the German Emperor I. Wilhelm named. The architect responsible was Johann Carl Ott . In the middle of the square was a monumental equestrian statue of William I, which was removed in 1919 when Alsace-Lorraine became French again after the First World War . At the same time, the square was renamed Place de la République . During the occupation in World War II , it was briefly called "Bismarckplatz", and since 1945 it has been called Place de la République again .
Development
Seen from the front of the square are the following buildings:
The former imperial palace (architect: Hermann Eggert ), today the Palais du Rhin, seat of the international Rhine shipping commission.
The two buildings of the former Ministry of Alsace-Lorraine , today the seat of the regional administration of public finances ( Direction régionale des Finances publiques Grand Est et département du Bas-Rhin ) and the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin département ( Préfecture administrative de la région Grand Est et du Bas-Rhin , eastern building).
The University and National Library ( Bibliothèque nationale et universitaire de Strasbourg ) (Architects: August Hartel and Skjøld Neckelmann ).
The building of the former regional assembly of Alsace-Lorraine , today the Théâtre National du Rhin (architects: Hartel and Neckelmann).
Coordinates: 48 ° 35 '14.3 " N , 7 ° 45' 14.3" E