Strasbourg Cathedral
Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Strasbourg - Strasbourg Cathedral.West front. Built 1176-1439. It is the sixth-tallest church in the world and the highest extant structure built entirely in the Middle Ages.
"The Minster, or Monasterium Sanctae Mariae Virginis, is the cathedral of the see of Strassburg, said to have been founded about 600 and dedicated from the very first to the Holy Virgin. ... Repeated fires gave occasion for the erection of a new church, which was begun in 1176 under Bishop Conrad I, mainly on the existing foundations ... While the apse and transept were slowly progressing, Gothic architecture had become established in France, and, of course, exercised an influence on all buildings in course of construction".--Baedeker 1911.
Part of Strasbourg, Grande-Île and Neustadt UNESCO World Heritage site.
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Although ultimately a victor in World Wars I and II, France suffered extensive losses in its empire, wealth, manpower, and rank as a dominant nation-state. Nevertheless, France today is one of the most modern countries in the world and is a leader am... ... read more 
