Surrounded by two arms of the River Ill, the Grande Ile (Big Island) is the historic centre of the Alsatian capital. It has an outstanding complex of monuments within a fairly small area. The cathedral, the four ancient churches and the Palais Rohan form a district that is characteristic of a medieval town and illustrates Strasbourg's evolution from the 15th to the 18th century.

The origins of Strasbourg, located on an island of the river ill, dates from 12 BC when a Roman military settlement called Argentoratum was established. In 1496 the site was taken by the Franks, under Clovis, and a city emerged called Strateburgum or "city of roads". In 1176 the construction of the current cathedral started. In 1262 Strasbourg became a Free City of the Holy Roman Empire, which became again part of France in 1681. Strasbourg has been successively part of Germany and part of France. Strasbourg has currently several European institutions like the Council of Europe and the European Parliament.