Place Kléber, Central square in Strasbourg, France
Place Kléber is Strasbourg's largest central square, paved with large grey stone slabs laid in a regular grid. A shallow rectangular basin of dark water with a row of vertical jets sits slightly right of centre, and long gneiss-edged water basins and green spaces were added in the 2007 redesign. The Aubette, built 1765–1772 by Jacques François Blondel, borders the north side; the bronze statue of General Kléber by Philippe Grass stands in the middle.
The square received its current name in 1840 to honor General Jean-Baptiste Kléber, a native of Strasbourg. Before this, the space went by different names and witnessed important moments in the city's history.
The Aubette's 1928 interior by Theo van Doesburg, Hans Arp and Sophie Taeuber-Arp was restored and reopened to the public in 2006; some critics call it the "Sistine Chapel of abstract art". The building itself, built 1765–1772 by Jacques François Blondel, first served as a guardhouse from which orders were passed at dawn, hence its name.
Tram lines A and D run along the western edge of the square, continuing from the rue des Francs-Bourgeois. The pedestrianised surface is level and step-free, with the water basins set flush into the paving. The Aubette and its shops stand on the north side; the statue and its vault occupy the middle of the square.
A vault beneath the central statue holds the remains of General Kléber, who was assassinated in Cairo in 1800. His body was later brought back and laid to rest in his hometown.
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