A capital city
As the symbol of reconciliation between peoples and of the future of Europe, it was no accident that Strasbourg was chosen as the capital of Europe at the end of the Second World War.
The history of Strasbourg has always been closely entwined with that of Europe. As the capital of printing and the cradle of Rhineland humanism, Strasbourg had long been symbolic of the conflicts between France and Germany before it came to represent European reconciliation. With its central location, it is also a city open to debate and discussion, underpinning the importance of European integration. Europe is what we make of it together.
Europe is an everyday feature of Strasbourg
which goes beyond the European institutions. With its many consulates and representations and frequent visits by top-ranking politicians, it is the French city with the second-largest diplomatic presence and shares the distinction with Geneva and New York, as being the seat of international organisations without being the capital city of its country.