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City Guide - Strasbourg - Culture | ||
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Culture Thanks to the efforts of Strasbourg's mayor, Catherine Trautmann, the portion of the city's budget allocated to is second only to Paris. Music is its forte but Strasbourg does well across the cultural spread, with several cultural events open to the public every day of the year. The concert and opera seasons run from October until May. The largest concerts are shown at the Palais de la Musique et des Congrès, place de Bordeaux (tel: (03) 8837 6767). La Laiterie, 13 rue du Hohwald (tel: (03) 8823 7237), is a smaller, popular music venue for rock, jazz, pop and techno. Recitals and chamber music can be heard inside churches and smaller concert halls. International folk dancing performances take place at the Palais de Rohan. Every year, Strasbourg's cultural institutions allow free entry to the public on the first Sunday of October (journée portes-ouvertes). Cultural activities are listed in Strasbourg Actualités, the Dernières Nouvelles d'Alsace, Strasbourg Magazine and Hebdoscope. In December 2000, a new cultural venue - La Scala, 96 Route du Polygone (tel: (03) 8834 1036), opened, offering cabaret and a brasserie for its clientele. Music: The Opéra National du Rhin, Théâtre Municipal, 19 place Broglie (tel: (03) 8875 4800; fax: (03) 8824 0934; e-mail: opera@opera-national-du-rhin.com; website: www.opera-national-du-rhin.com), has earned Strasbourg a worldwide reputation in classical, lyrical and contemporary music. Other prestigious organisations include the Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg (OPS), conducted by world-renowned Jan Latham-Koenig, that performs at the Palais de la Musique et des Congrès, place de Bordeaux (tel: (03) 8815 0900 or 8852 1845 - box office); the Percussions de Strasbourg, 15 place André-Maurois (tel: (03) 8826 0709), and the Conservatoire National de Région de Strasbourg (CNR), 10 rue du Hohwold (tel: (03) 8823 7723). Theatre: Strasbourg has enjoyed its own theatre troupe since 1681. Organisations that attract international companies, actors and directors include: the Théâtre National de Strasbourg (TNS), 1 avenue de la Marseillaise (tel: (03) 8824 8824; fax: (03) 8837 3771; e-mail: public@tns.fr; website: www.tns.fr), its schools are the Théâtre Jeune Public, 7 rue des Balayeurs (tel: (03) 8835 7010; fax: (03) 8836 5327; e-mail: tjp@theatre-jeune-public.com; website: www.theatre-jeune-public.com), and Le Maillon, 13 place André Maurois (tel: (03) 8827 6171 or 8827 6181, box office; e-mail: info@lemalillon.com; website: www.le-maillon.com). The Théâtre Alsacien de Strasbourg is located at the Théâtre Municipal (see above) and La Choucrouterie, 20 rue St-Louis (tel: (03) 8836 0728), present traditional shows and political satires in French and Alsatian. Le Kafteur is a café-théâtre, at 3 rue Thiergarten (tel: (03) 8822 2203), which presents humorous sketches. Dance: The Rhine Ballet Company performs at the Palais de la Musique et des Congrès and at the Opéra du Rhin, located at the Théâtre Municipal (see above). Contemporary dance and jazz take place at Pôle Sud, 1 rue de Bourgogne (tel: (03) 8839 2340). Film: The recently opened multiplex UGC, on the Route du Rhin, in the Neudorf district in east Strasbourg, boasts 22 screens and seats 5,400 people, making it the largest cinema in Europe. The centrally located Pathé Vox (tel: (03) 8875 5021), 17 rue des Francs Bourgeois, offers reduced rates for the 1100 showing. L'Etoile, 18 rue du 22 Novembre (tel: (03) 8832 3482), has the winning formula of film plus meal. Art cinemas, Cinéma Star, 27 rue Jeu des Enfants (tel: (03) 8832 4497), and Odyssée, 3 rue des Francs Bourgeois (tel: (03) 8875 1047), show films in their original versions. Cultural events: The major annual events are the International Music Festival in June with classical concerts held throughout the city, the contemporary music festival, Musica, in September and Jazz d'Or in November Literary Notes Early works include the Serments de Strasbourg (842) by the brothers Charles le Chauve and Louis le Germanique and the edifying twelfth-century Hortus Deliciarum by the nun, Herrade de Landsberg. The city's association with the written word was continued by Gutenberg (1399-1468), who arrived in Strasbourg in 1434 where he developed his printing press with moveable type. Despite debtors forcing Gutenberg to flee from Strasbourg in 1444, by the end of the fifteenth century printing was strongly established in the city - an integral part of the intense religious and intellectual life in Alsace. Goëthe's stay in Strasbourg in 1770-71 marked the start of the German renovation movement in poetry known as 'Sturm und Drang'. Up to the end of World War I, German-language literature was thriving; notable contributors were Friedrich Lienhard, René Schickele and Jean-Hans Arp. Albert Schweitzer, the most important Alsatian figure of the twentieth century, contributed with literature in dialect. In the early 1980s, Alsatian literature - in the form of songs and poetry - was rediscovered. Alsatian folklore was published in modern French; particularly charming are the magical tales traditionally recounted on New Year's Eve. Modern Alsatian literature is expressed in French, German and Alsatian dialect. Alsatian literature can be found at La Librairie Oberlin, 19 rue des Francs Bourgeois (tel: (03) 8832 4583), and at the annual Salon du Livre in Colmar. |