Saverne, France
Located in Lorraine, in the
Zorn valley, just an hour and a bit more from the German border, the
picturesque town of Saverne has a long and sometimes bloody story to tell.
Never heard of Saverne? Didn’t make your top ten? Well, make room for it, even if you’re just
looking for a day trip. Saverne harbors a fabulous shopping street of
half-timbered buildings, sidewalk cafes and a picturesque promenade along the
Rhine-Marne Canal (competed1853).
Matter of fact, the canal is
the reason we visited Saverne. Friends
had rented a boat for a few days of canal cruising. Being landlubbers by nature, except on cruise
liners where wait staff, attired in black and white livery, come to the
poolside to offer to slake your thirst with a martini, we skipped the boat trip
and drove straight to Saverne for French Cuisine, wine and more wine on the
back deck of our friends’ rented vessel and an overnight stay at L’Hotel
Europa.
 |
| Waiting our turn. |
 |
| Into the Lock |
When the wine began to run low,
I wandered off the boat with a friend and discovered the wonders of the
shopping street. You see, in my family,
we don’t play by the rules. Being
restless by nature, I’m the shopper and my significant other would rather
loiter in a sunny deck chair and sip more wine.
But, I had a good reason for
slipping away. Not only did we need a
few more bottles of wine, but because we also found the stash of brandy
woefully inadequate. Then there was the need to pause to sip a coffee and practice our French, also woefully inadequate.
But, is there more to Saverne
than a half-timbered shopping street and copious quantities of vin? Yes, as a matter of fact. For one, there’s the Chateau de Roan, which
professes to be a huge museum with a collection of Roman and Celtic artifacts.
The building has a long history, too.
Too long to go into and a long list of Cardinals and Princes who once
called it home would be wasted on my two faithful readers. Old Castle build in 1417, still preserved, burned several times and rebuilt several times, the last rebuild was 1790.
Romans here? C’est entendu! Everywhere you go in Central Europe, the
Romans have already come and gone. With a thousand years of history, the Romans
built a spider’s web of major roads, many of which are still used, even if the
original stones have long been covered with modern materials. In Roman times, Saverne was known as Tres
Tabermae Casaris, or Ceasar’s Three Taverns. Through common usage and a need to
shorten conversation the name morphed into Saverne.
Why were the Romans
here? Simple, Saverne sits at the base
of a route through the Vosges Mountains and this spot on the Zorn River was the
perfect spot to change a wagon’s oxen for the steep climb over the mountains.
But even the powerful Romans
had their troubles and a collection of German tribes, the Alemanni (hence the French word for German, allemand,
and Germany, Allemagne) overran the
Roman settlement and destroyed the town.
Emperor Julian drove the tribes out and reestablished Roman control, as
well as rebuilding the town.
But this wasn’t the only time
the town suffered, the biggest being the Thirty Years War (1618-1648). Short version, Catholic states in the loosely
formed Holy Roman Empire, versus every Prince and nobleman who wanted their
people to be Protestant, devolving into who would rule central Europe, the
Hapsburgs (mostly Germany/Austria) or France.
The Thirty Years War was not trivial, with devastation over vast areas
and more than five million casualties.
Then, of course we come to
the Franco-Prussian War and Alsace and Lorraine becoming German, then becoming
French after WW I, then German in WW 2, then back to France in the aftermath of
WW II.
 |
| German soldiers patrolling the streets of Saverne circa 1871 |
So do the people speak French
and German? Yes, but mostly French and
also English. When the exchanging of money
for goods is the object, learning a few languages is suddenly easy. Learn or stave is a wonderful motivator.
Ain’t it nice to know
something about the city you’re visiting?
That done, it’s time to pick out a restaurant and do some French
dining. Lots of good restaurants to pick
from. If nothing else, follow the
crowd! We were only in Saverne one
night, so I do not have a favorite.
 |
| Just one of the many wonderful restaurants, many of them on the shopping street. |
Nice also to stop in a market. Lucky it was market day. All across Europe, but especially in France, market days are wondrous.
 |
| I heard a French housewife say, she wouldn't buy vegetables without dirt on them |
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ifvpfobEdc
 |
| Cafe by the canal. |
 |
| Same Cafe |
 |
| City Hall |
 |
| Boy meets dog. Dog is delighted. |
 |
| Entry to City Hall |
No comments:
Post a Comment