Ancienne Douane, Gothic administrative building in Grande Île, Strasbourg, France
The Ancienne Douane is a Gothic-style former customs house on the bank of the Ill River in central Strasbourg. It has a covered hall on the ground floor that opens onto a riverside terrace, with the upper floors retaining their medieval framework.
The building was erected in 1358 to serve a boatmen's guild and quickly became a key point for goods moving along the Rhine trade routes. Over the following centuries it changed hands and functions several times, reflecting the shifting political control of the city.
The name "Kaufhaus", which simply means trading house in German, reflects how closely tied Strasbourg has always been to German-speaking merchants. Today visitors gather on the riverside terrace to watch boats pass and take in the view of the old town.
The building is in the heart of the old town and easy to reach on foot from most central landmarks. The riverside terrace is open to the public, and arriving early on sunny days is a good idea since the tables fill up quickly.
After wartime damage, the architect Robert Will rebuilt the structure between 1962 and 1965 using concrete, but followed the original medieval floor plans so closely that the result looks nothing like a postwar reconstruction. Inside, the timber ceiling gives the impression of a space that has never changed, even though much of what you see was built in the 1960s.
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