In September 1681 Strasbourg was annexed by France, bringing stability and reasserting the economic strength of the city.
Strasbourg is considered a symbolic major city. In 1949 it was chosen to be the seat of the Council of Europe and in 1994 it was appointed the seat of the European Court of Human Rights and the European Parliament. Nowadays Strasbourg is the second important political and diplomatic town.
Being rather far away from the capital, Strasbourg is culturally independent. It has its own opera, the only France's national theatre outside Paris, international music festivals, bi-national TV station.
Its multinational student population (over 50,000) makes the city intellectually vibrant. Strasbourg is the permanent campus for ISU (International Space University) and (Ecole Nationale d'Administration), École supérieure des Arts décoratifs.
The heart of the city is the Grande Ile ('Big Island'), encircled by Fosse du Faux-Rempart canal and the Ill River. The Cathedrale Notre-Dame in the Vieille Ville with numerous museums clustered around is the most dominant landmark of Strasbourg. The Cathedrale has remained unchanged since the Middle Ages.
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