Strasbourg is the capital and the largest city of French Alsace. Its name means “City of Road” and it is, of course, justified. Strasbourg has a strategic position within Europe and has always been a kind of crossroads, of which often fought mainly Germans and French. Wrangling lasted for years, once the city belonged to the Germans for a while, then again to the French for a few years, and so it went again and again. Finally, France won the battle and such the city belong to France today. But as mentioned earlier the German influence is evident here, from the street names through the meals in local restaurants up to the typically “German” half-timbered houses. But Strasbourg residents do not feel any injustice, consider that the city took the better of both countries – at first glance is a picturesque like the rest of France, but neat and clean like it would be German city.

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In the distant past Strasbourg used to be a free city of Holy Roman Empire. Being a crossroad of trade routes and also an important crossing over the river Rhine, the city grew very fast. However in the following centuries it was quite difficult, as written above. During the “German” times, the city was a home to some important people, such as Johann Gutenberg (Johannes Gensfleisch zur Laden zum Gutenberg), who was forced to leave Mainz in the 15th century. Right here then constructed one of his first printing machines. A few hundred years later, famous German poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe lived and studied here.

Strasbourg has kept the great importance in France and all over Europe until today. It is home to the Council of Europe, the European Court of Human Rights and also a place of regular meetings of the European Parliament. In addition, the buildings of these institutions are among the major structures of modern architecture. But Strasbourg has a lot to offer also in terms of historical sights. Along the river Ill you can see a lot of houses with gables, which dates back to the 16th century. Following century left a few half-timbered burgher houses here.

There are also historic gems such as Gothic cathedral and Rohan castle. Therefore “Grande Île” (Big Island) – which represents the historic center with cathedral, churches and palace has been inscribed on the UNESCO’s World Heritage List already in 1988.

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The area where the Old Harry Rocks sits is known as the Jurassic coast. Because of tectonics, the land has folded over and over itself time and time again. As a result, rocks that date back to not just the Jurassic period, but also the Triassic and Cretaceous period can be seen clearly. Amongst these rocks are the fossils of countless dinosaurs from long ago; just waiting to be uncovered.

Old Harry Rocks, UK by John Tomlinson

The area where the Old Harry Rocks can be found is filled with chalk and this particular kind of rock is very resistant to the acidic attacks by saltwater. There was a day when a number of chalk columns stood in the area, but because of erosion by the waves, one by one they have tumbled to the sea. The last rock to fall was back in 1896, it was considered to be the wife of Old Harry. Today, all that is left of her is a stump.

However, to the east, just across the water you will see the very popular Needles that are situated along the coastline of the Isle of Wight. While the distance is quite far if the day is clear enough then you should have no problems seeing the Needles. It is said, that the islands used to be connected by the chalk but over the millennia this bridge has long since eroded away.

Old Harry Rocks, England, UK by Cmcqueen

Before long, it is expected that the Old Harry Rocks too will succumb to erosion. There are many people working together to find a way to protect the rocks and preserve them from the tremendous force of the waves and time.

As local legend has it, the name of the Old Harry Rocks comes from an infamous pirate who hid out in the area. Harry Paye, who was a pirate from Poole, used the area as his hideout and was said to have buried his treasures along the rocky shores of the island. While no treasure has ever been found, the name stuck as a symbol to the history that has made the island what it is today.

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