Â鶹APP

Palais Rohan. Picture Courtesy of GFreihalter.

Top 10 Little Known Facts about Palais Rohan

The Palais Rohan (Rohan Palace) in Strasbourg is the former residence of the prince-bishops and cardinals of the  House of Rohan, an ancient  French Noble family originally from  Brittany.

It is a major architectural, historical, and cultural landmark in the city. It was built next to  Strasbourg Cathedral in the 1730s, from designs by Robert de Cotte, and is considered a masterpiece of French Baroque Architecture.

Since its completion in 1742, the palace has hosted a number of  French Monarchs such as Louis XV,  Maria Antoinette,  Napoleon and  Josephine, and  Charles X.

The following are some of the little-known facts about Palais Rohan;

1. Armand Gaston Maximilien commanded the building of the Museum

Armand-Gaston-Maximilien de Rohan. Picture By Hyacinthe Rigaud

In 1727  Armand Gaston Maximilien, bishop of Strasbourg since 1704 and cardinal since 1712, commissioned the architect  Robert de Cotte to design the palace; de Cotte provided initial plans the same year. 

Seven years prior, in 1720, Cardinal de Rohan had already charged de Cotte with renovation and embellishment works on his castle in  Saverne, the predecessor of the current  Rohan Castle.

 De Cotte had also previously designed the  Hotel du grand Doyenne, the first hotel Particulier in the Louis Quinze style built in Strasbourg.

The Palais Rohan was built on the site of the former residence of the bishop, the “bishop’s demesne”, which is recorded since at least 1262.  

2. Palais Rohan took ten years for completion

Fully built Palais Rohan. Picture By Radek Kucharski.

Building work on the Palais Rohan took place from 1732 until 1742 under the supervision of the municipal architect  Joseph Massol, who also worked on the  Hotel de Hanau and the  Hotel de Klinglin during the early years of the project.

Massol was assisted by the architects Laurent Gourlade and Étienne Le Chevalier. The sculptures, including statues as well as reliefs, were provided by  Rober le Lorrain, assisted by Johann August Nahl, Gaspard Pollet, and Laurent Leprince, and the paintings by Pierre Ignace Parrocel, and Robert de Séry.

3. The palace was owned by the house of the Rohan Until the French Revolution

The House of Rohan owned the palace until the  French Revolution when it was confiscated, declared Bien national (“state-owned”), and finally auctioned off on 8 August 1791.

Bought by the municipality, it became the new town Hall (hôtel de Ville) the same year, succeeding the Neubau. Much of the furniture and many of the works of art in the Palais were sold, and in 1793 the eight life-sized mural portraits of prince-bishops decorating the Salle des évêques (Bishops’ Hall) were destroyed.

They were replaced in 1796 by allegories of civic virtues painted by  Joseph Melling. Only the portrait of Armand Gaston, the builder of the palace, was later restored to its original place with a 1982 replica of Hyacinthe Rigaud’s lost painting.

Melling also replaced the overdoor portraits of kings of France, decorating the same room with paintings of vases.

4. King Louis XV resided in the palace

Portrait of Louis XV of France (1710-1774). Picture By Workshop of Louis-Michel van Loo.

King  Louis XV of France stayed in the palace from 5 to 10 October 1744. Maria Joseph of Saxony and Dauphine of France Marie Antoinette spent two nights in the palace from 27 to 29 January 1747.

Queen Marie Antoinette spent her first night on French soil there from 7 to 8 May 1770. In 1805, 1806, and 1809 Emperor  Napoleon spent several nights in the palace; his wife, Empress  Josephine stayed for longer periods, from September 1805 until January 1806 ( Battle of Austerlitz), and from May until July 1809 (Battles of  Aspern-Eisling and of Battle of Wagram).

5. President Ronald Reagan dined in Palais Rohan 

Official Portrait of President Ronald Reagan. Picture by Public Domain.

On 8 May 1985, American President  Ronald Reagan dined in the Palace and signed the official Strasbourg guestbook, on the occasion of his visit to the  European Parliament.

In December 1989, the Palais Rohan hosted the dinner parties of the heads of state of the  European Council, including  Francois Mitterrand, Helmut Kohl,  Margaret Thatcher,  Giulio Andreotti, and  Felipe Gonzalez.

In the 21st century, the palace was the setting for the official dinner for the  2016 Fed Cup finalists, the gala dinners for the 20th and the 25th anniversary of Eurimages, as well as other festive receptions, since it can be booked for such occasions from the municipality.

6. The palace is established around a large and paved courtyard

The palace is structured around a large and paved courtyard. It has a trapezoidal plan, and the land falls away toward river III.

To compensate for the slope, the riverside (southern) façade of the main wing has four floors (including the  Mansard roof), while the courtyard (northern) façade has three floors.

The half-buried floor corresponds to the basement and now houses the archaeological museum (see below,  Museums). The riverside façade is thus both the highest and the widest of the palace.

The terrace before it, facing the Quai des Bateliers, is closed at both ends by elaborate wrought-iron gates adorned with the coat of arms of the House of Rohan.

7.  The Palace’s original furnishings were sold in the wake of the  French Revolution

Many of the original furnishings were sold in the wake of the  French Revolution. Some works of art, including the overdoors from the Salle des évêques, part of the municipal collections, were destroyed with the museum situated in the  Aubette when the  Prussian Army shelled the city during the  Siege of Strasbourg in 1870. 

In the 20th century and especially during the reconstruction following the bomb damage of August 1944, a great deal of effort went into locating the surviving missing objects and replacing the lost works with identical or similar pieces.

They were supervised by the aforementioned Hans Haug, who had become director of the newly created network of municipal museums on 1 January 1945. 

8. The Palace is a tourist attraction site

People touring Palais Rohan. By Guiguilacagouille.

Those who have found a  vacation rental in Alsace should definitely set aside some time to go and explore the stunning city of Strasbourg. Over 2,000 years old, it is located in the east of France, on the border between  France and  Germany.

As a border city, it is a mish-mash of different cultural influences and is also UNESCO-awarded and famously lovely.  One of the most beautiful highlights of this gorgeous place is the  Palais Rohan.

A former residence of the prince-bishops and the cardinals of the House of Rohan, which was an ancient French noble family originally from Brittany, it is now one of the city’s most important (if not the most important) landmarks and attractions.

Located next to the Cathedral of Strasbourg, it is a masterclass in the French Baroque and an exceptional beauty.

9.  The palace  is now home to three of the city’s most important museums

The palace was later also used by the newly established Kaiser-Wilhelms-Universitat. The Imperial German version of the University of Strasbourg is the seat of the faculties of law, philosophy, and sciences.

Later then was the seat of the university’s library until the opening of the National and University Library in 1895. It finally, became home to the municipal art collections.

It is now home to three of the city’s most important museums. The Musée des Beaux-Arts, Musée Archéologique, and Musée des Arts Décoratifs. 

10. Rohan consists of two Facades

Rohan Palace (Le Palais Rohan) consists of two main facades, one in Cathedral Square (the one to the left side of it) and another by one of the canals that pass through Strasbourg.

The facade of the cathedral is the one that is home to the main entrance, and its design is like two wide, yet quite short buildings joined together by a lower section in the center with a big patio.

I love the main door that has statues that almost “crown” the entrance, as well as the color of the building itself.