France: Neuf-Brisach & Breisach

Rhine river divides France and Germany and also the plains of Alsace from the foothills of the Black Forest. The twin towns of Breisach (formerly Altbreisach or High Breisach) is on the hills in Germany overlooking the Rhine. When in 1697 a peace treaty between France and the Holy Roman Empire delineated the border along the river, the French built the town of Neuf-Brisach (New Breisach), an amazing fit of military engineering as the entire city is a star-shaped citadel. The city was refereed to as “ideal city” at the time – in the center there is a large square with a church, then follow concentric blocks of housing, then an octagonal ring of protection around town with 4 access points, and finally a spiky star-shaped earthwork fortifications on the outside. It’s hard to photograph this from the ground so I included the aerial shot which isn’t mine (they should offer heli overflights) . The entire town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.