Timeline

Origin and history

The house at 17 rue de l'Ail in Strasbourg was an 18th-century building, typical of the Alsatian civil architecture of that time. It was located in the historic centre of the city, a district marked by a dense heritage and lively urban life, particularly around the commercial and craft activities that characterized Strasbourg before the destruction of the Second World War.

The building was destroyed during the 1944 bombings that struck Strasbourg, a tragic episode that caused the loss of many historic buildings. Only the frame of the portal, dated from the 18th century and classified as historical monuments since 1953, could be saved. This gate, with its original vantals, was preserved and resettled at the back of the courtyard of the reconstructed building at the location of the original house.

The inscription of the portal as a historic monument in 1953 reflects the desire to retain remarkable architectural elements, despite the disappearance of the original building. This type of partial preservation illustrates the challenges of post-war reconstruction, where heritage memory was often limited to symbolic fragments, such as this portal, the last visible vestige of the historic house.

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