Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Roman Tower of Strasbourg corresponds to archaeological remains embedded in cellars or walls of modern buildings, such as those of 47-49 rue des Grandes Arcades. These elements come from the Roman castrum d'Argentoratum, founded around 12 B.C. under the impulse of General Drusus to secure the Rhine border. The site, occupied by the Legio VIII Augusta from the years 85-90, was equipped with three successive enclosures: wooden and earth (I century), limestone (II century), and then pink sandstone (IIIth-IVth century), the latter being punctuated with semicircular towers still partially visible.

The excavations of the 19th and 20th centuries revealed a final enclosure of 550 m by 335 m, bounded by ditches and streams like Ill. Four doors (including the porta praetoria in the west) structured access to the camp, while main arteries such as the via principalis (current rue du Dome) organized internal space. After the legions left around 450, a small population maintained the walls until the High Middle Ages, before Strasbourg became a Carolingian bishopric and then a growing medieval city.

Roman remains, such as those classified in 1920 Rue des Grandes Arcades, illustrate the Roman military construction techniques: volcanic stone foundations, limestone rubble chained by bricks, and re-use of funeral steles in the third enclosure. These elements, often integrated into later buildings, recall the ancient heritage of Strasbourg, before its medieval and modern development under Germanic and then French influence.

The Roman occupation in Strasbourg is part of a network of legionary camps along the Rhine (from Vindonissa to Noviomagus), designed to control the Germania. The Legio VIII Augusta, transferred from Mirebellum (near Dijon), stationed there until the fifth century, leaving a lasting footprint on the urban route. Roman ditches, such as that of the False Rempart (now Turckheim wharf), were reused or filled in the Middle Ages, while gates such as the porta decumana (quai Lezay-Marnesia) disappeared under subsequent developments.

The transition between Roman and medieval times is marked by the reuse of the walls as the nucleus of the future Altstadt (old city). In the 10th century Bishop Erchambald consolidated the episcopal authority over Strasbourg, while the ancient ramparts, partially preserved (rue des Grandes Arcades, place Broglie), served as the basis for medieval extensions. The chronicles of Jacques Twinger (14th century) still attest to their presence, although their condition deteriorated over time.

The Roman remains, now scattered, have been protected since the beginning of the twentieth century for their historical value. Their archaeological study allowed the reconstruction of the camp's plan, its defences (5-6 m wide, 20-40 m spaced towers), and its internal organization. These discoveries contrast with modern Strasbourg, where only fragments remain, bearing witness to a millennium urban stratification, from Roman legionaries to Vaubanian fortifications.

External links