The Neustadt: The German Imperial District (1870-1918)

After three-quarters of its suburbs were destroyed and the city center severely damaged during the siege and French defeat of 1870, Strasbourg began a rapid reconstruction completed within five years. However, the city's expansion, planned since the 18th century, became a priority for business circles eager to modernize infrastructure (station, port, traffic), while the political authorities of the Reichsland Alsace-Lorraine aimed to make it a grand capital, symbolizing the Empire and German identity.

In April 1880, the master plan for the new city was adopted, adding 386 hectares to the original 236 hectares. Municipal architect J.-G. Conrath, in office since 1849, designed an urban project divided into two sectors. The first, dedicated to official buildings (imperial palace, ministries, regional assembly headquarters, library, and university), was completed around 1900. The second, for collective or individual residential neighborhoods, progressed more slowly and was finished after 1920.

This urban creation, remarkable for its scale and harmony, remains unique in Europe after the destruction of World War II. It features large squares, wide, airy tree-lined avenues, and sites where monumental architecture blends elegantly with careful landscaping, such as the banks of the Ill River with Saint Paul’s Church. Public and private buildings reflect a marked historicist eclecticism (Italian or German neo-Renaissance, neo-Baroque), punctuated by surprising Art Nouveau elements like the “Egyptian House.”