Petite-France Quarter

The Petite-France quarter is the reason why thousands of tourists from all over the world flock to Strasbourg. It is located on the Grand Ile island in the historic center of the city.

This area attracts tourists with its many flamboyant wooden houses with carved facades and baroque stone buildings.

The history of the quarter goes back to the Middle Ages. Curiously, the quarter got the poetic name Petite-France for a rather mundane reason. The thing is that back then, in this area, prostitution thrived, and such a venereal disease as syphilis, which was then called the “French disease,” was common. Actually, that’s why the quarter was nicknamed Petite-France.

Since the 16th century, people of lower classes lived in Petite-France: fishers, millers, and artisans. Therefore, many buildings in Strasbourg look unusual for citizens of other French cities. For example, under the roof of a fisherman’s house, there was usually a particular device for drying fish skin. And the attics were well ventilated and overlooked the water. All these tricks helped to organize the trade.

Overall, this quarter owes its exuberant appearance to ordinary people who, due to lack of money to buy stone, built their houses according to another tradition, with the help of wooden frames. Now, they give the quarter its unique flair.

In the late 1980s, this quarter was listed as the UNESCO site. Fortunately, this area of the city looks today the same as it did in the Middle Ages. Like our predecessors, we have the opportunity to stroll along these narrow streets, see these wood-frame houses with carved facades, riverside stone buildings, as well as lovely river trams.

And if you turn into the quarter alleys, you can buy a souvenir that catches your fancy in one of the many shops or sit in a cozy cafe.