Strasbourg, << STRAS burg or strahz BOOR >> (pop. 279,284; met. area pop. 785,839) is a trading center in France. Its location on the Ill River and its canal link with the Rhine make it an important port. It stands 250 miles (402 kilometers) east of Paris. Strasbourg’s plants produce chemicals, leather, metals, paper, plastics, and textiles.
Strasbourg is an old city with many medieval buildings. The city’s Gothic cathedral, with its famous clock and magnificent rose window, is one of the most beautiful in Europe. Its spire is 466 feet (142 meters) high. Strasbourg University was founded in 1538.
The location of Strasbourg near the German-French border has made the city important commercially, but it has also made it a prize of war for many years. It was a German free town until 1681, when it was united with France. During the French Revolution in 1792, “The Marseillaise,” the French national anthem, was written in Strasbourg. After the Franco-Prussian War in 1870, France ceded Strasbourg to Germany. The city became French again after the Treaty of Versailles in 1919. German troops occupied Strasbourg during World War II (1939-1945). Strasbourg has been the headquarters of the Council of Europe since 1949.
