Place Kleber

Place Kléber (Kléber Square) is the meeting place, where the biggest Christmas tree in France stands tall! Each year, this approximately 70-year-old tree, 30 meters high, is transported here from the Vosges mountains, starting at the end of October. Place Kléber, the beating heart of Strasbourg, is a place where history and the present meet. I will show you the statue of General Kléber, a hero of the Napoleonic army, whose body rests beneath the pedestal of his statue. At its side stands the majestic Aubette, a building that has seen its destiny transformed on several occasions. In order to respect a total tour time of 3 hours, we will not stroll in Place Kléber market, but you will certainly have plenty of time to do so before the meeting. We will focus on the city's other Christmas markets.

Place Broglie

Place Broglie (Broglie Square), a location where Strasbourg's history unfolds in multiple acts. From the Janus fountain, the two-faced Roman god who reminds us that history has both a past and a future, to the Opera, whose tumultuous story is a testament to the city's wars and reconstructions—everything here breathes history. But the square is also a place of memory. I will recount the story of Strasbourg's liberation by Marshal Leclerc and the secret of the French flag—an amusing and fascinating anecdote. Finally, I will tell you two stories: that of the city's very first Christmas market, which was held right here after 1570, and that of La Marseillaise, the French national anthem, whose first note resonated in a building on the square. During the Christmas season, Place Broglie is bustling with chalets offering traditional dishes (sauerkraut, Spätzle, etc.) and mulled wine, as well as chalets specializing in Nativity scene figurines (santons).