Neuf-Brisach might not be very big, but at least it is perfectly symmetrical. The reason, naturally, is that it was designed and built at one go – no natural growth here (see the plan below).
The town was built around 1700 by Louis XIV’s famous fortification guru, Vauban (before ennobling called Sébastien Le Prestre). He stares at you in front of the town hall (below left). To keep the local fauna happy, they have reserved an observation post for storks on the roof, also (below right).
The name indictes that there should be an old version of the town somewhere – and there is. The original is called Breisach, and is located on the other side of the Rhine in Germany. The need for a new version of a fortified town arose after the French lost the original. Of course, a fortified town needed a permanent military presence, and caserns were built for this (below left, under renovation). The four gates are well-preserved (below right).
The town has been on the road of various armies from the revolutionary wars to the Second World War, and Vauban’s fortifications have lost some of their lustre in the process (below).
The street scene is no different from any other small French town (below), although street signs are also written in Alsatian.
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