Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Strasbourg

The cathedral of Strasbourg is built from pink sandstone quarried in the Vosges, and the colour changes through the day from pale rose in morning light to deep red at sunset. It rises from the old town with a single spire, 142 metres high, finished in 1439. The northern tower was never built, which gives the building its lopsided profile. For more than four centuries the spire made it the tallest building in the world, until it was passed in 1874.

The present church replaced earlier Romanesque cathedrals and was begun in 1015, but its character is overwhelmingly Gothic. The nave and western façade were raised from the late twelfth century to the fifteenth, with Erwin von Steinbach traditionally named among the master masons of the façade. The west front is a screen of fine tracery, statues and carved portals, with a large rose window above the central door. Several of the original statues have been moved indoors for protection and replaced by copies, so the Musée de l'Œuvre Notre-Dame nearby is a good companion visit.

Inside, the stained glass is the main event. Medieval panels survive in the nave and transepts, and the light through the windows is rich and slightly dim. Look for the carved pulpit of 1485, the Pillar of Angels in the south transept, and the Gothic organ case high on the nave wall.

In the south transept stands the Astronomical Clock. The current mechanism dates from the 1840s and was designed by Jean-Baptiste Schwilgué, replacing a Renaissance clock that had stopped working. It shows the date, the movement of the planets, the moon phase and the church calendar. Around midday a procession of mechanical figures performs, and a ticket is needed to watch it, so arrive early because the queue builds. Entry to the nave itself is free.

The platform at the base of the spire can be reached by climbing several hundred steps, and the view takes in the red roofs of the old town, the plain of Alsace, the Vosges to the west and the Black Forest across the Rhine. Visit hours are limited around services, and some of the building is closed on holy days, so check times on the day.

The cathedral stands on the Place de la Cathédrale, a few minutes on foot from Palais Rohan and the museums around it, and it is also close to Place Kléber and Petite France. In December the Marché de Noël is centred around its square, which makes the area crowded but atmospheric. Allow one to two hours, more if you climb the tower.