Œuvre de Notre-Dame Museum and Rohan Palace

The two gingerbread houses opposite the cathedral are the œuvre de Notre-Dame Foundation and its museum, both raising funds for the maintenance of the cathedral. Right next door is Rohan Palace, another emblematic building of the city. I’ll leave you to admire the details of its façade. The prince-bishop of Rohan sought to impress the locals, so as to showcase the might of France in a city that had been reclaimed late in its history and, at the same time, to highlight the resurgence of Catholic worship in a stronghold of Protestant reform. Prince-bishop was a title given to the bishops of the Holy Roman Germanic Empire, as, in addition to administering their dioceses, they ruled over an area and answered directly to the emperor, without having to go through a lord. This also meant that they were rather important people, much like princes. This former episcopal palace, once home to 4 prince-bishops of Strasbourg, all from the Rohan family, now houses the Museum of Fine Arts and the Archaeological Museum, which traces the history of Alsace since the sixth millennium BC. They’re both well worth a visit! You’ll also get to tour the grandiose interior of the building, which is listed as a historical monument. In this square, the past and the future come together. And “how’s that possible”, you might ask? Well, firstly, look for the metal plate on the ground beside the fountain jets, facing the two doors under the clock. Do you see it? It marks the location of a time capsule. It’s the Caveau du futur, that is, the Vault of the Future, a project by the Strasbourg artist Raymond Waydelich and his imaginary muse Lydia Jacob. In 1995, he published a science-fiction novel set in 3790, following a great disaster. In a bid to help future archaeologists, the town council agreed to play along, and the locals filled the time capsule and buried it in a small bunker, not to be opened until the year 3790. Let’s hope the gamble pays off, and that the future townspeople of Strasbourg will be thrilled to open this incredible treasure box. Among other things, they’ll find over 2,000 letters, a soccer ball, underwear, checks, a computer, a resin pretzel, restaurant menus and even vacuum-packed Alsatian dishes.