Place Kléber

Place Kléber is the largest square in Strasbourg and the natural meeting point of the city centre, a broad pedestrian space ringed with shops, cafés and tall buildings and crossed by trams at its edge. It stands within the historic island, the Grande Île, which is listed by UNESCO, and almost every visit to the city passes through it at some point, on the way between the station, the cathedral and the shopping streets. The tram stop Homme de Fer, where five lines meet, lies at the edge of the square.

The square has gone through several names. In the Middle Ages it was the site of a Franciscan convent, and its name, Barfüsserplatz, meant barefoot square after the friars who went barefoot. Later it became the Place d'Armes, when the military used it for parades, and in 1840 it was renamed in honour of Jean-Baptiste Kléber, a general born in Strasbourg in 1753 who commanded the French army in Egypt after Napoleon left and was assassinated in Cairo in 1800. His statue, a bronze by the sculptor Philippe Grass, stands at the centre of the square, and his remains are buried in a vault beneath it. The Strasbourgeois like to say that the general watches over their city, and the statue is the usual place to arrange a meeting.

One side of the square is closed by the Aubette, a long classical building from the eighteenth century, originally built as a guardhouse for the military. In the 1920s, its interior was redesigned by three artists, Theo van Doesburg, Sophie Taeuber-Arp and Hans Arp, in a bold abstract style that is now considered one of the major works of the modernist avant-garde, and part of it can be visited as a small museum. The contrast between the sober eighteenth-century facade and the colourful interior is striking, and it is a good reason to step inside.

In winter the square takes on a special role. Strasbourg bills itself as the capital of Christmas, and its Christmas market, one of the oldest in Europe, goes back to the sixteenth century. The great Christmas tree, among the biggest in France, is raised on the Place Kléber each year, decorated with lights and ornaments, and the surrounding stalls sell mulled wine, gingerbread and decorations. The crowds are large, and the square is festive but busy, so go early in the day or on a weekday if you prefer a quieter experience.

The square is the best base for exploring on foot. The Cathédrale Notre-Dame, with its single great spire, is about five minutes away along the Rue Mercière, and Place Gutenberg, the Petite France district, the Ponts Couverts, the Palais Rohan and the Musée Alsacien are all within easy reach. The Musée d'Art Moderne et Contemporain and the European Parliament lie farther out and can be reached by tram. The square suits everyone, from families to solo travellers, and it is lively from morning to night.