The ''Neubau'', also known as ''Le Neue Bau'' or ''Neuer Bau''(

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

for "new building") is a historic building located on the Grande Île in the city center of Strasbourg, in the French department of the

Bas-Rhin Bas-Rhin (; Alsatian: ''Unterelsàss'', ' or '; traditional german: links=no, Niederrhein; en, Lower Rhine) is a department in Alsace which is a part of the Grand Est super-region of France. The name means 'Lower Rhine', referring to its low ...

. It has been classified as a Monument historique since 1995. The Neubau is the most representative example of

Renaissance architecture Renaissance architecture is the European architecture of the period between the early 15th and early 16th centuries in different regions, demonstrating a conscious revival and development of certain elements of Ancient Greece, ancient Greek and ...

in Strasbourg and is, as such, a major landmark of the old town.

History

The ''New Building'' was designed, literally, as a "new building" with no specific purpose at first apart from adding some space to the older administrative buildings that stood then on what is now Place Gutenberg: the town hall (demolished in 1781), the chancery (demolished in 1800), the

mint MiNT is Now TOS (MiNT) is a free software alternative operating system kernel for the Atari ST system and its successors. It is a multi-tasking alternative to TOS and MagiC. Together with the free system components fVDI device drivers, XaA ...

(demolished in 1738). The novelty of the building was also reflected by its then decidedly modern style, probably the work of architects and artists from Switzerland. The

pilaster In classical architecture, a pilaster is an architectural element used to give the appearance of a supporting column and to articulate an extent of wall, with only an ornamental function. It consists of a flat surface raised from the main wal ...

s of the three floors are crowned (from top to bottom) with Tuscan, Ionian and

Corinthian Corinthian or Corinthians may refer to: *Several Pauline epistles, books of the New Testament of the Bible: **First Epistle to the Corinthians **Second Epistle to the Corinthians **Third Epistle to the Corinthians (Orthodox) *A demonym relating to ...

capitals. Strasbourg's other Renaissance civic buildings and palaces, such as the butcher's hall ''Grosse Metzig'' (now housing the Musée historique) or the ''Hôtel de Boecklinsau'' were all built or started in the decade following the opening of the Neubau. In 1781, the Neubau became the new town hall of Strasbourg after the ancient town hall (or ''Pfalz''), a medieval building, was torn down and razed. During the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...

, the new town hall was pillaged and the original furniture all but disappeared. It became the Chamber of commerce in 1792 and was refurnished by orders of

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

in 1802; thus the reception rooms now display Baroque

tapestries Tapestry is a form of textile art, traditionally woven by hand on a loom. Tapestry is weft-faced weaving, in which all the warp threads are hidden in the completed work, unlike most woven textiles, where both the warp and the weft threads may ...

and early 19th-century furniture. In 1867, the architect, Eugène Petiti (1809–1883) added an aisle on the south side of the building, exactly replicating the 1580s style. The Neubau was completely renovated in the 2000s.

Gallery

Musée historique de Strasbourg-Sac de l'Hôtel de ville.jpg, Ransacking of the ''hôtel de ville'' by French Revolutionaries on 21 July 1789 (painting in the Musée historique de Strasbourg) Chambre de commerce et d'industrie de Strasbourg.jpg, Façade in 2009 Strasbourg chCommindustr 02.jpg,

Pediment Pediments are gables, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the lintel, or entablature, if supported by columns. Pediments can contain an overdoor and are usually topped by hood moulds. A pedim ...

of the main portal and bust of

Mercurius Mercury (; la, Mercurius ) is a major god in Roman religion and mythology, being one of the 12 Dii Consentes within the ancient Roman pantheon. He is the god of financial gain, commerce, eloquence, messages, communication (including divinati ...

Strasbourg chCommindustr 03.jpg, Lion of central portal and reliefs of façade Strasbourg chCommindustr 16.jpg, Detail of reliefs and

sgraffito ''Sgraffito'' (; plural: ''sgraffiti'') is a technique either of wall decor, produced by applying layers of plaster tinted in contrasting colours to a moistened surface, or in pottery, by applying to an unfired ceramic body two successive laye ...

Strasbourg CCI tapisserie flamande du 17ème siècle.jpg, 17th-century tapestry from

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to cultu ...

depicting the humiliation of

Bayezid I Bayezid I ( ota, بايزيد اول, tr, I. Bayezid), also known as Bayezid the Thunderbolt ( ota, link=no, یلدیرم بايزيد, tr, Yıldırım Bayezid, link=no; – 8 March 1403) was the Ottoman Sultan from 1389 to 1402. He adopted ...

Timur Timur ; chg, ''Aqsaq Temür'', 'Timur the Lame') or as ''Sahib-i-Qiran'' ( 'Lord of the Auspicious Conjunction'), his epithet. ( chg, ''Temür'', 'Iron'; 9 April 133617–19 February 1405), later Timūr Gurkānī ( chg, ''Temür Kü ...

References

External links

*
''Le neubau (CCI) - 10 place Gutenberg''
on archi-wiki.org

Literature

*Recht, Roland; Foessel, Georges; Klein, Jean-Pierre: ''Connaître Strasbourg'', 1988, , pages 155–157

History

Gallery

References

External links

Literature

See also