La Petite France, petite histoire.
Also called "The Small Venice", la Petite France or "The Small France" is an old district of fishermen, millers and tanners who used to wash the skins in the river. It used to be underappreciated because of its very unpleasant smells, but is today the most romantic district of Strasbourg, and is classified UNESCO World Heritage. It was called “La petit Venise”, but its actual name appeared in the 1500’s, after a serious epidemic in Europe. The sick people were isolated in this district, in a building allocated for them. This one was ironically nicknamed “Petite France” from the citizen of Strasbourg, and over the years, this nickname has been applied to the entire district. The half-timbered houses of this neighborhood date back to the 16th – 17th, and the roofs are open on granaries where the skins used to dry. The house of the tanners is now a restaurant.
At the extremity of La Petite France, les Ponts Couverts (the Cover Bridges) are composed of three bridges across the Ill, in the center of la Petite France. Since 1928, the four aligned towers to these bridges which were used as a prison, are listed as a historical monument. They were built in order to protect Strasbourg against external attacks, and their name comes from the wooden ceiling that previously covered them. It is a former fortified wooden bridge, divided in three canals. The “Heinrichsturm”, used as a civil prison, the “Hans von Altheimturm”, and the tower of the “French”, military prison in the 18th and 19th century. The fourth tower is the Hangman’s Tower, called “Henkerturm”.