Strasbourg Cathedral: Difference between revisions
No edit summary |
No edit summary |
||
| Line 9: | Line 9: | ||
The north tower, completed in 1439, was, until [[1874]], the highest building of the world. The Strasbourg cathedral is, with its characteristic asymmetrical form (the south tower was never built), today the premier landmark of [[Alsace]]. One can see three kilometers from its tower, which provides a view of the [[Rhine]] banks from the [[Vosges mountains|Vosges]] all the way to the [[Black Forest]]. |
The north tower, completed in 1439, was, until [[1874]], the highest building of the world. The Strasbourg cathedral is, with its characteristic asymmetrical form (the south tower was never built), today the premier landmark of [[Alsace]]. One can see three kilometers from its tower, which provides a view of the [[Rhine]] banks from the [[Vosges mountains|Vosges]] all the way to the [[Black Forest]]. |
||
[[Image:strasbourg_virtual.jpg|800px|thumb|1. The cathedral in the mid-14th century, with a West façade similar to that of Notre Dame de Paris ; 2. Extensions around 1400 ; 3.Further extensions ; 4. How would have looked the cathedral if the south tower had been built]] |
|||
==See also== |
==See also== |
||
Revision as of 02:44, 30 September 2005
The Cathédrale Notre-Dame (English Our Lady's Cathedral) in Strasbourg, France belongs to the grand history of European cathedral architectural design.
Werner de Habsbourg proposed the construction of the cathedral in 1015 AD., and it took six centuries to complete. Like the city Strasbourg, the cathedral connects Muenster German and French cultural influences, while the eastern structures, e.g. the choir and south portal, still have very Romanesque features.
Above all the famous west front, decorated with thousands of figures, is a masterpiece of the Gothic era. The tower is one of the first to rely substantially on draftsmanship, with the final appearance being one of a high degree of linearity captured in stone. While previous façades were certainly drawn prior to construction, Strasbourg has one of the earliest façades whose construction is inconceivable without prior drawing. Strasbourg and Cologne Cathedral together represent some of the earliest uses of architectural drawing. The work of Professor Robert O. Bork of the University of Iowa suggests that the design of the Strasbourg facade, while seeming almost random in its complexity, can be constructed using a series of rotated octagons.
The north tower, completed in 1439, was, until 1874, the highest building of the world. The Strasbourg cathedral is, with its characteristic asymmetrical form (the south tower was never built), today the premier landmark of Alsace. One can see three kilometers from its tower, which provides a view of the Rhine banks from the Vosges all the way to the Black Forest.
