Parc du Contades

The favourite walking place for Strasbourg’s bourgeoisie

The park was originally an extramural promenade for the city’s dwellers, created in 1764 by Marshal de Contades, the then commander of the province of Alsace, on top of an old firing range. The fine new walk, much larger than the present day Contades park, was immediately adopted by Strasbourg’s bourgeoisie.

The park lost a significant part of its area with the building of the Neustadt, during the Reichsland period (1871-1918), but fortunately the remaining part, due to the extension of the city, was included in the urban development plan to embellish one of the most upmarket sectors of the “new city”.

Some of the more prestigious buildings can still be admired, on the avenue de la Paix side of the park. Avenue de la Paix is also where the new synagogue of Strasbourg was built (1954-1958).

Villa Osterloff, a cast-iron bandstand and the river Aar

The magnificent villa Osterloff, with its elegant blend of mediaeval and Renaissance architectural features, was built in the early 1900s on rue des Arquebusiers, which runs across the rear part of the park. The bandstand, in the middle of the park, is the venue for summer concerts and was built in the 1880s, originally in place Broglie, before being moved to the Contades in 1900.

The river Aar, small though it is, runs past the southern part of the park, giving it its unique cachet and atmosphere.