Visit the Palais Rohan
In the heart of the Bas-Rhin department, within the city center of Strasbourg and just steps from the Cathedral, sits the Palais Rohan. This mid-18th century building houses three museums and stands as one of the city's primary cultural landmarks.
History
The Palais Rohan was built between 1732 and 1742 for the Prince-Bishop Armand Gaston Maximilien de Rohan. It was designed by the architect Robert de Cotte, who already held a significant reputation at the time, to replace the previous episcopal palace.
The interior architecture is ornate, drawing heavy inspiration from the Palace of Versailles. For example, it features a King's Chamber, a room used solely for the ceremonial waking and sleeping of the prince. You will also notice the Bishops' Salon, which serves as the counterpart to the Salon de l'Oeil-de-Boeuf at Versailles.
Museums at the Palais Rohan
Beyond the grandeur of its architecture and decor, the palace serves as home to three museums.
The Musée des Arts Décoratifs de Strasbourg (Strasbourg Museum of Decorative Arts) largely stems from the Hohenlohe-Museum collections, which were founded by Wilhelm von Bode in 1890 and moved to the palace in 1898. It displays numerous Strasbourg faience pieces and examples of traditional Strasbourg goldsmithing.
The palace also houses the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Strasbourg. Here again, we owe the foundation of the collection, gathered in 1889, to Wilhelm von Bode, who served as director of the Imperial Museums of Berlin. Following numerous donations, the museum now presents paintings from around the world, covering a period from the 14th to the 19th century.
The final institution is the Musée Archéologique de Strasbourg (Strasbourg Archaeological Museum). It is one of the most significant of its kind in France. Located in the vast basement levels, it offers a look into the history of the Alsace region, spanning from the Paleolithic era to the early Middle Ages.
This palace is, without question, an iconic site of Alsatian culture.
The Palais Rohan is an elegant palace overlooking the Place du Chateau, facing the Cathedral.
It has the unique feature of housing 3 museums: archaeology, fine arts, and decorative arts.
You can buy individual tickets for each of these museums, or a pass that gives you access to all 3.
For my part, I stuck to the archaeology museum, located in the basement. It was an interesting visit, done in a little over an hour. You can find ancient objects there dating all the way back to prehistoric times and antiquity. Bones, jewelry, tools, accessories, sculptures... The visit took an entertaining turn for our 4-year-old girl when one of the museum employees offered us a scavenger hunt. It was about a dozen stickers to place in the right boxes depending on where the objects they represent are located in the exhibition rooms.