Strasbourg
More Museums
Historical Museum (Musee Historique de Strasbourg) - In this modern museum, kids can get a sense of Strasbourg's long history, and due to its strategic importance, wars always seemed to come their way over the centuries. There are spiffy exhibits with medieval armor, cannons, crossbows, swords, daggers, caltrops, flintlocks, swords, pistols, and hands-on activities such as try on helmets, pick up cannon balls. An incredible model of 1723 shows what a fortified city looked like.
Other galleries display ancient money - ducats, florins, thalers. Strasbourg was also one of the earliest cities that printed books (Gutenberg worked on his printing press while living in Strasbourg), and there are samples of very early printed books. In 17th and 18th century galleries, learn about daily family life in Strasbourg - an extraordinary doll house from 1680 has a kitchen, bedroom, sitting room - plus fashion for men and women.
Free audio guide in English. The museum is closed Mon.
Alsace Museum (Musee Alsacien) - The museum of Alsatian life is located in an old house, and part of its charm is going from room to room, up and down stairs to different floors, windows made with circles of glass, carved wooden balconies, half-timbered walls. In the rooms are carved wooden chairs, painted armoires and chests, cooking implements, typically furnished bedroom, men and women's traditional costumes (women have fancy headdresses), old-fashioned 19th century toys, miniature doll houses.
This is not a fabulous museum for little kids, but we enjoyed the homey feel on a cold wintery morning when we visited, and it would also be good for a rainy day. Closed Tuesday.
