Barrage Vauban, Strasbourg
Part of Strasbourg's fortifications, the Barrage Vauban is a 17thcentury bridge and weir spanning the Ill River.
Part of Strasbourg's fortifications, the Barrage Vauban is a 17thcentury bridge and weir spanning the Ill River. It was designed by military architect and hydraulic engineer Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban, and constructed by engineer Jacques Tarade. The 120 metre long barrage is built in pink Vosges sandstone, and has 13 arches linking the banks of the river, of which 3 are raised higher to permit navigation. In the event of an attack, the gates in the arches can be closed which would raise the water level of the river and flood the southern areas of the city, warding off enemies. Within the Barrage are a corridor running across the drawbridges, and a lapidarium that displays plaster casts and copies of statues and gargoyles from the Strasbourg Cathedral and Palais Rohan. The bridge is topped by a grass terrace that offers panoramic views of Petit France, canals, and further upto the Cathedral.
At the southern end of the Barrage Vauban stands the Hôtel du Département, seat of the Bas-Rhine County Council. The northern end has the Strasbourg Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, and the Commanderie Saint-Jean École Nationale d'Administration nearby.
Hours
Sun
9:30
20:00
Mon
10:00
19:30
Tue
10:00
19:30
Wed
10:00
19:30
Thu
10:00
19:30
Fri
10:00
19:30
Sat
9:30
20:00
About Barrage Vauban
Place du quartier blanc - Rue Sainte-Marguerite, 67000 Strasbourg, France
+33 3 88 52 28 28
Barrage Vauban and Nearby Sights on Map
MAMCS - Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art
Housed in a massive glass building by Adrien Fainsilber on the banks of the Ill River, the Musée d'Art Moderne et Contemporain de Strasbourg houses a collection of over 18,000 works of painting, sculpture, graphic arts, photography, multimedia, and design from 1870 to the present day
Petite France
Petite France is a historic quarter at the western end of the Grande Île, the historical centre of Strasbourg which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Hammam et Traditions
Eglise Saint Thomas
Gare de Strasbourg
The Gare de Strasbourg is the main railway station of Strasbourg, and worth seeing for its Wilhelminian period architecture
Place Kleber
Named after French Revolution general Jean-Baptiste Kléber who was born in Strasbourg, Place Kleber is the central and largest square in the city
Place Gutenberg
Named after the inventor of the printing press Johannes Gutenbergwho lived in Strasbourg from 1434 to 1444, the Place Gutenberg is a charming open square on Grande Ile that was the administrative centre of the city till the 18thcentury
Historical Museum of Strasbourg
Located in the Renaissance building of the former slaughterhouse, the Musée Historique de Strasbourg traces the eventful political, social, economic and cultural history of the city from the early Middle Ages through the 18thcentury and beyond till the present day
Alsatian Museum
Housed in a series of Renaissance timber-framed houses on the Quai Saint-Nicolas, the Musee Alsacien or Alsation Museum is dedicated to folk culture and everyday life in Alsace from the 17thto 20thcenturies
Cave Historique des Hospices de Strasbourg
The Cave Historique des Hospices de Strasbourg is a wine cellar built in 1393-'95 in the basement of the city's civil hospital