On the south side of the Pont du Corbeau, the medieval Impasse du Corbeau still looks much as it must have done in the fourteenth century. Downstream, the quai des Bateliers was part of the old business quarter, and the streets leading off it – rue Ste-Madeleine, rue de la Krutenau and rue de Zurich – are still worth a wander. Two bridges upstream, the Pont St-Thomas leads to the church of St-Thomas (Jan & Feb Sat & Sun 2–5pm; March & Nov–Dec daily 10am–noon & 2–5pm; April–Oct daily 10am–noon & 2–6pm; closed Sun morning for services; tel 03.88.32.14.46), with a Romanesque facade and Gothic towers. Since 1549 it has been the city's principal Protestant church. Strasbourg was a bastion of the Reformation, and one of its leaders, Martin Bucer, preached in this church. The amazing piece of sculpture behind the altar is Jean-Baptiste Pigalle's tomb of the Maréchal de Saxe, a very capable French military commander active against the Duke of Cumberland in the campaigns of the War of the Austrian Succession in the middle of the eighteenth century.From here, it's a short walk upstream to the Pont St-Martin, which marks the beginning of the district known as La Petite France, where the city's millers, tanners and fishermen used to live. At the far end of a series of canals are the so-called Ponts Couverts (they are in fact no longer covered), built as part of the fourteenth-century city fortifications and still punctuated by watchtowers. Just beyond is a dam built by Vauban (daily 9am–7.30pm; mid-March to mid-Oct till 8pm; free) to protect the city from waterborne assault. The whole area is picture-postcard pretty, with winding streets – most notably rue du Bain-aux-Plantes – bordered by sixteenth- and seventeenth-century houses adorned with flowers and elaborately carved woodwork. The area east of the cathedral is good for a stroll, too, where rue des Frères leads to place St-Étienne. Place du Marché-Gayot, off rue des Frères behind the cathedral, is very lively, almost southern in feel, with a row of trendy studenty cafés on the north side and a mixed bunch of eateries opposite. From the north side of the cathedral, rue du Dôme leads to the eighteenth-century place Broglie, with the Hôtel de Ville, the bijou Opera House and some imposing eighteenth-century mansions. It was at 4 place Broglie in 1792 that Rouget de l'Isle first sang what later became known as the Marseillaise for the mayor of Strasbourg, who had challenged him to compose a rousing song for the troops of the army of the Rhine.
| 