Like many western and southern european cities Strassburg's history goes back to a roman foundation and became very important because of its location at one of the most important waterways in Europe, the Rhine river. For many centuries it was either part of Germany or France, sometimes changing several times in a century. Now it is the capital of France's most western province, the Alsace. Today two third of the population still speaks a german dialect, although they consider themselves part of the french culture.
Today Strassburg is the seat of the European Parliament as a symbol for the end of the rivalty between France and Germany, which dominated for so many centuries the policy of the continent and caused so many wars.