Author: kenritley

It’s only July 2025 when I took this snap, but all the leaves on the tree are withered brown. Does this mean the tree is dead?  If so, it’s hard to say if it was killed directly by drought – or perhaps an infestation of a foreign invasive species?

I wish I knew more about medieval cities, because when I look at scenes like this I don’t understand them. The buildings are narrow but tall – and that suggests to me that land was expensive so they wanted to keep the footprint small but then build vertically. But they are all quite different in structure and design. How did this come about? Was there a time when there were a few houses here but gaps between the houses that were later filled? How exactly did this row of houses develop?

Well, I did what anyone today would do and I asked ChatGPT. We actually had a wonderful conversation about this, and I learned a lot.  Here are the key points:

1. Early control

• In the early Middle Ages, Strasbourg (then called Argentoratum) was under the authority of the Prince-Bishop of Strasbourg.

• The bishop controlled justice, taxes, and military defenses.

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2. Growing independence

• By the 12th century, the city was wealthy (Rhine trade hub, fairs, cathedral works).

• The burghers and guilds grew stronger and wanted more self-rule.

• Tensions flared between bishop and citizens, especially over taxation and rights.

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3. The turning point (Battle of Hausbergen, 1262)

• The bishop tried to reassert power militarily.

• The citizens formed a militia and, backed by guilds, defeated the bishop’s army at the Battle of Hausbergen (March 1262).

• After this, the bishop lost his temporal power inside the city.

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4. Imperial confirmation

• The Holy Roman Emperor (who loved having cities directly under him, bypassing local lords) recognized Strasbourg as a Free Imperial City.

• That meant Strasbourg answered only to the Emperor, not to the bishop or any duke.

• The city council (Rat) took over government, dominated by guilds and patrician families.

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5. Aftermath

• Strasbourg thrived as a self-governing city-state: managing its laws, minting coins, raising militias.

• It stayed a Free Imperial City until 1681, when Louis XIV of France seized it and integrated it into France.

 

I did not know about this Battle of Hausbergen – since one of my passions is photography in Alsace, I will have to check this out one day!

But getting back to the houses . . . the Stadtrat would sell parcels of land, and naturally parcels of land close to the rivers and canals had a premium and so were quite narrow – hence what you see in the picture above!

I spotted this fellow — together with about ten thousand of his friend — growing between the tracks at the Mulhouse Gare Central. It raises all sorts of questions and is really something to think about. In Switzerland, they don’t have such weeds at their train stations. But usually that’s because they completely cement everything over — at least France preserves nature as far as possible. And avoids the herbicides other countries might use to eliminate these herbes spendides.

I found this one in Alsace, near Dessinheim, but they are all over eastern France and southern Germany. Interestingly, you don’t find these very often in Switzerland. As a hobby photographer I really enjoy looking for these things and seeing if I can capture snaps that are artistic. I am pretty happy with this one — but they are surprisingly difficult to photograph, mainly because I respect the Accès interdit – propriété privée or Zutritt verboten signs.

I really, really liked this here in Europe when I saw it at the Mulhouse Gare Central,

It’s more hygenic than the American “bubblers” that spray a stream of water you can suck on like a bird — but it is a far, far cry from the Chinese versions that dispense both cold and hot water (for making tea).

The summer drought it in full swing and as you drive across Alsace you see these huge devices everywhere. They are not called sprinklers but rather lateral irrigation systems. I’ve long been interested in finding the best way to capture these, photographically, and personally I think it’s one of the harder subjects to shoot. They are not always found close to the road and in a position that makes a good composition — the light is not always ideal — but I am quite happy with the results of this snap!

I spotted this fellow just off the side of the road near Neuf-Briesach, probably looking for a warm juicy mouse or — failing that — at least a nice big bug.

This is an artistic a snap as I thought I could take of a big statute. There is a big, open plaza in Strasbourg — called Place de Kléber — and it has a big statute you can see here, of General Kléber. Believe it or not, he is also buried here on this spot, probably underneath the statute. He fought as heroically as a general can fight in Napolean’s crusade in Egypt, until he was stabbed to death by a student. I find it interesting that such people were enshrined like this. Today, probably zillions of people pass by this statute every day and I wonder if any of them really know who he is — which means there was previously great interest in honoring them, and today they are largely ignored.

But this post is not about bubbles, but rather bubble architecture. And more specifically, another snap of the Bubble Architecture at the main train station in Strasbourg.

By the way, I took this snap on my Nikon Z6ii with a very inexpensive 28mm prime lense – fabulous for street photography, and as you can see below I am very happy with how well it captures the fine details!

 

I call it bubble architecture. But probably nobody else does.

I’ve said that France is the all time master at turning beautiful historical buildings into hideous monstrosities by encasing parts of them – or sometimes all of them – in giant glass bubbles.  Well, they seem to be getting mildly better at this. But the famous Gare de Strasbourg — or main train station in Strasbourg — is in my view a case where the French got things right!

As of July 2025 it seems all the cornfield in Alsace – everywhere – including in this little area called Dessinheim – are undergoing tremendous irrigation. Probably a side-effect of the European drought. Interestingly, Dessinheim is rather famous — historically — since a famous French combat pilot was shot down and killed here. I’ll post a snap to his memorial in a coming post.