Counting the bridges keeps you from getting lost. Knowing the scenery around them turns each one into a stage. Here is the historical route in the same order as your outward journey.
The route in nine chapters
Pont Maurice Barrès—the choice is made here
Immediately after this first waypoint, the route takes the left-hand branch. The name evokes Maurice Barrès, a writer and member of parliament from Lorraine, and a major yet controversial figure in anti-Dreyfusard nationalism.
The bridge name is official; the resolution identifying its precise dedicatee has not been found.Pont Schützenberger—a builder’s name
The surname runs through local history. Georges-Frédéric Schutzenberger, mayor from 1837 to 1848, oversaw the modernisation of the quays, parks and gas lighting, as well as the arrival of the railway.
The municipal register spells the name “Schutzenberger”; the exact link with the mayor or his family still needs confirmation from the archives.Passerelle Ungemach—the postcard has another side
The garden city built in the early 1920s comprises about 140 houses with gardens across twelve hectares. The social project set out to house young families, but it also relied on a pronatalist selection policy now viewed critically.
Pont Lauth—a mayor under pressure
The name probably refers to Ernest Lauth, mayor when Strasbourg became part of the German Empire. In 1872, he began rebuilding the museum destroyed during the siege, before being removed from office in 1873.
The identification is highly probable; the naming resolution has yet to be found.Pont de la Protestation—the little temple of a resounding “no”
On 17 February 1871, representatives of Alsace-Lorraine solemnly rejected the cession of their provinces before the National Assembly meeting in Bordeaux. The columns give the bridge the appearance of a civic temple.
Its real name is Pont de la Protestation, not “pont Ohmacht”. No document consulted proves that the columns directly symbolise the declaration.Passerelle des Arquebusiers—from gunfire to foliage
The name echoes the area’s military past. Very close by, Contades was a firing range before becoming an elegant promenade outside the city walls in 1764.
A direct etymological link between the footbridge and this firing range has not yet been documented.Pont Abraham Deutsch—teaching and rebuilding
A rabbi in Bischheim and later chief rabbi of Strasbourg and Bas-Rhin, Abraham Deutsch led Strasbourg’s Jewish community after it relocated to Limoges during the war and helped rebuild it after 1945.
The connection to the chief rabbi is highly probable; the naming resolution still needs confirmation.Pont des Vosges—the Neustadt’s grand straight line
It crosses the axis formed by avenues des Vosges, d’Alsace and de la Forêt-Noire. This transport artery was laid out parallel to the monumental République–Université axis: traffic on one side, prestigious vistas on the other.
Pont d’Auvergne—between knowledge and memory
Completed in 1892 by Johann-Carl Ott, the former pont de l’Université has three metal spans and a low profile that preserves the view. Its present name echoes Université de Strasbourg’s relocation to Clermont-Ferrand during the Second World War.
The precise date and administrative reason for the change of name still require verification in the Archives.The Bains Weisz
Here, Strasbourg once swam directly in the Aar. Opened in 1860, the baths gained a 50-metre competition pool in 1947 before closing in the 1960s. As you paddle, you are therefore crossing a former open-air swimming pool—minus the lane ropes.
Contades, from shooting range to chic promenade
In 1764, a former firing range became a promenade beyond the city walls, soon embraced by fashionable society. Its cast-iron bandstand dates from 1882: first installed on place Broglie, it moved to the park in 1900.
Saint-Paul, the monumental landmark
At the tip of île Sainte-Hélène, Louis Muller built a German Protestant garrison church from 1892 to 1897. Two 76-metre spires, an eight-metre rose window and sixteen doors make it an unmistakable landmark.
The cat that is not afraid of water
In 2000, Alain Séchas installed a 4.50-metre feline bather at Rives de l’Aar, complete with webbed feet and a rubber ring around its waist. Commissioned for the tram’s arrival in Schiltigheim, it became the most unlikely traffic officer between road, rails and river.
A small port in its past
From 1816 onwards, timber from the Black Forest reached Strasbourg via the Kinzig, the Rhine and then the Ill. A small port was built in 1854 for Schiltigheim’s industries; it was filled in in 1958.
Voltaire and Rousseau at Tivoli
The château de l’île Jars, later known as villa Voltaire, welcomed both Voltaire and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Long before cyclists and kayaks, two giants of the Enlightenment had already discovered these banks.
The one-minute timeline
| 1764 | Contades becomes a promenade. |
|---|---|
| 1860 | The Bains Weisz open. |
| 1871 | The Bordeaux protest against the cession of Alsace-Lorraine. |
| 1882 | The bandstand that will move to Contades in 1900 is created. |
| 1892 | The former pont de l’Université is completed. |
| 1892–1897 | Église Saint-Paul is built. |
| 1920s | The Ungemach garden city is born. |
| 1939–1944 | Université de Strasbourg relocates to Clermont-Ferrand and becomes a centre of resistance. |
| 1947 | A competition pool opens at the Bains Weisz; Abraham Deutsch becomes chief rabbi. |
| 2000 | Le Chat des Rives de l’Aar arrives with the tram. |
| 2017 | The Neustadt joins Strasbourg’s UNESCO World Heritage property. |
Names that become stories
Abraham Deutsch
Rabbi, teacher and a driving force in rebuilding Strasbourg’s Jewish community after 1945.
Johann-Carl Ott
The chief architect who reconciled traffic, navigation and a monumental vista at pont d’Auvergne.
Alain Séchas
The artist who placed a giant bathing cat between the Aar and the tram, guided by humour.
Marc Bloch
Strasbourg historian, co-founder of the Annales school and Resistance fighter, executed on 16 June 1944.
Paul Collomp
A Hellenist killed while intervening during the 1943 round-up at the university relocated to Clermont-Ferrand.
Jean Cavaillès
Philosopher, mathematician and Resistance fighter: a mind that refused to remain a spectator.