Activities in Strasbourg

Fabienne Keller, Strasbourg’s new mayor, is dedicated to allocating a large portion of the city’s budget to culture. Music is its forte but Strasbourg does well across the cultural spread, with several events open to the public every day of the year.

The concert and opera seasons run from October until May. The largest concerts are shown at the Palais de la Musique et des Congres, place de Bordeaux . Recitals and chamber music can be heard inside churches and smaller concert halls. Every year, for a weekend in September during journee du patrimoine, Strasbourg’s cultural institutions allow free entry to the public. Since September 2002, two key cultural venues, TAPS Scala, 96 route du Polygone , and TAPS Laiterie, 13 rue du Hohwald, have been working together to present a long season (Sep-Jun) of theater, music and dance.

Cultural activities are listed in the Dernieres Nouvelles d’Alsace and Hebdoscope. More information about cultural events is found in Autour de… the French-only journal of the Opera National du Rhin, available from the Office du Tourisme .

Music: The Opera National du Rhin, Theâtre Municipal, 19 place Broglie , has earned Strasbourg a worldwide reputation for classical, lyrical and contemporary music. Other prestigious organizations include the Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg , conducted by world-renowned Jan Latham-Koenig, which performs at the Palais de la Musique et des Congres, place de Bordeaux the Percussions de Strasbourg, 15 place Andre-Maurois , and the Conservatoire National de Region de Strasbourg (CNR), 10 rue du Hohwald .

Theater: Organizations that attract international companies, actors and directors include the Theâtre National de Strasbourg (TNS), 1 avenue de la Marseillaise , the Theâtre Jeune Public, 7 rue des Balayeurs , and Le Maillon, 13 place Andre Maurois . The Theâtre Alsacien de Strasbourg, located at the Theâtre Municipal, 19 place Broglie , and La Choucrouterie, 20 rue St-Louis , presents traditional shows and political satires in French and Alsatian. Le Kafteur, 3 rue Thiergarten, is a cafe-theâtre that presents humorous sketches.

Dance: The Opera du Rhin Ballet performs at the Palais de la Musique et des Congres, place de Bordeaux and the Theâtre Municipal, 19 place Broglie . Contemporary dance and jazz take place at Pole Sud, 1 rue de Bourgogne.

Film: The recently opened multiplex UGC Cine Cite, 25 route du Rhin, Neudorf, east Strasbourg , boasts 23 screens and seats 5,400 people, making it the largest cinema in Europe. Its sibling, the UGC Capitole, 3-5 rue du 22 Novembre, offers all the latest national and international films. The centrally located Pathe Vox, 17 rue des Francs Bourgeois , offers reduced rates for the 1100 showing. Star Saint Exupery, 18 rue du 22 Novembre has the winning formula of film plus meal. Arthouse cinemas, Cinema Star, 27 rue Jeu des Enfants, and Odyssee, 3 rue des Francs-Bourgeois , show films in the original language.

Cultural Events: The major annual events in Strasbourg are the International Music Festival in June, with classical concerts held throughout the city, and Strasbourg’s summer season of poetry, Les Mardis de la Poesie, every Tuesday in July and August, as well as choral concerts on Wednesday (Les Mercredis de la Voix), and concerts on Thursday (Les Jeudis de la Petite Scene Musicale). Musica, the festival of contemporary music, held at the Palais de la Musique et des Congres, in September, and the jazz extravaganza, Jazz d’Or, in November, are also important annual events on the city’s cultural calendar.

Literary Notes: Early literary works involving the city include the Serments de Strasbourg (842), by the brothers Charles le Chauve and Louis le Germanique, and the edifying 12th-century Hortus Deliciarum, by the nun, Herrade de Landsberg. The city’s association with the written word was continued by Gutenberg (1399-1468), who arrived in Strasbourg in 1434, where he developed his printing press with moveable type. Despite debtors forcing Gutenberg to flee from Strasbourg in 1444, by the end of the 15th century, printing was strongly established in the city - an integral part of the intense religious and intellectual life in Alsace.

Goethe’s stay in Strasbourg, in 1770-71, marked the start of the German renovation movement in poetry, known as ‘Sturm und Drang’. Up to the end of World War I, German-language literature was thriving. Notable contributors were Friedrich Lienhard, Rene Schickele and Jean-Hans Arp. Albert Schweitzer, the most important Alsatian figure of the 20th century, contributed with literature in dialect. In the early 1980s, Alsatian literature (in the form of songs and poetry) was rediscovered. Alsatian folklore was published in modern French. Particularly charming are the magical tales traditionally recounted on New Year’s Eve.

Modern Alsatian literature is expressed in French, German and Alsatian dialect. Prominent writers and poets include Maxime Alexandre, Jean-Hans Arp, Gaston Jung, Alfred Kern, Marcel Schneider and Claude Vigee. Alsatian literature can be found at La Librairie Oberlin, 22 rue de la Division Leclerc , and at the annual Salon du Livre, in Colmar, during November. Other highpoints on an Alsatian literary trail include the BNUS National University Library (France’s second largest library after the Bibliotheque National de France) and a fabulous humanist library, Bibliotheque Humaniste de Selestat, located 45km (28 miles) from Strasbourg, in Selestat. The latter boasts a rich collection of 3,000 manuscripts dating from the seventh to the 16th century and tracing the evolution from handwritten to printed work.

Sport:

Football is ever popular and Strasbourg’s team, Le Racing club de Strasbourg , has been doing rather well recently, climbing up to the first division in autumn 2002. The football stadium, Stade de la Meinau, rue de l’Extenwoerth , has a capacity for 30,000 spectators.

The annual sporting highlights begin in January, with the International Fencing Tournament. May sees in the European Football Tournament - STRASCUP and the International Women’s Tennis Championship. The popular Triathlon is held in July and the season culminates in August, with the European Handball Tournament.

Tickets to major sporting events in Strasbourg are available for purchase at the Office des Sports, Quai Ernest Bevin or FNAC, place Kleber.

The Hotel de Ville, 1 place de l’Etoile , the Office des Sports and the Center d’Information de la Jeunesse Alsace, 7 rue des Ecrivains , all can provide further information on sporting events in Strasbourg.

Fitness Centers: These include Carre Brun, 11 rue de Wissembourg ), where a day of sport or pampering costs €18, L’Eau Vive, 29 Vieux-Marche-aux-Vins, which costs €12 per day (concessions available), and La Cour de Honau, allee de la Honau, 67610 La Wantzenau , where four hours of gym costs €20.

Golf: The Golf Club de Strasbourg is situated at the route du Rhin, Illkirch-Graffenstaden . The course is open to non-members Mon-Fri 0900-1800, although those wishing to play must have a handicap of at least 35 and belong to a golf club. Weekends are for members only, or guests invited by a member. Green fees are €40 weekdays and €50 weekends.

The 18-hole course, Kempferhof, 351 rue du Moulin, at Plobsheim , is open to the public, costing €60 weekdays and €90 at the weekend. For players under 25 years, the tariff is increased by 50%. Golf International Soufflenheim, allee du Golf, Soufflenheim has three courses (18, nine and six holes) and one practice driving range. Rates are €23-45 weekdays and €30-70 at the weekend. Only players with a handicap better than 36 are allowed to play on the 18-hole course.

Squash: A 45-minute game of squash at Center Sportif de la Robertsau, 212 route de la Wantzenau , costs €5.50 per person, with racquet hire costing €1.60 per person. The sports center is open to non-members.

Swimming: Public pools include the Piscine de la Robertsau, 210 route de la Wantzenau , and the grandiose Bains Municipaux, 10 boulevard de la Victoire , where guests can also take a sauna or Turkish bath. The adult charge at both venues is €2.74 (concessions available).

Tennis: Most tennis courts belong to private clubs and require membership. However, Tennis Club de Strasbourg, 20 rue Pierre de Coubertin, in the international quarter , has four indoor and 13 outdoor courts available for hourly hire - €15 off-peak period and €18 after 1730 weekdays and all day weekends. For information on membership of Alsace tennis clubs, visitors should contact the Ligue d’Alsace de Tennis, rue Baden Powel.