In the shadow of Strasbourg's towering cathedral, sinister evidence of the city's past is lodged in a hotel facade. The defused mortar shell dates back to the siege of Strasbourg, a battle that took place in 1870.
The siege lasted from August 14 to September 28, 1870, marking a pivotal stage of the Franco-Prussian War. Prussian forces swept in and vastly outnumbered the French defenders, who were barricaded in what was considered one of the strongest fortresses in France. Despite their advantage, the Prussians launched a bombing campaign on the civilian part of Strasbourg, hoping to terrorize the French into a quick surrender. A staggering 200,000 shells fell on the city during the six-week siege. This deliberate attack on civilian morale foreshadowed tactics used in the world wars of the next century.
341 civilians died, and while the bombardment destroyed much of the city, it didn't result in an instant surrender of the French forces holed up in their fortress. They fought for several more weeks before capitulation. The result was a resounding Prussian victory, and the devastated city became part of Prussia under the peace treaties that ended the war.
During the reconstruction, residents recovered several unexploded shells and defused them. They then walled them into buildings, leaving them visible for all to see. The shell embedded near the cathedral is the most well-known, but seven others are scattered across Strasbourg's facades. The eight shells could have served as a symbol of resistance against the Prussian forces, recalling the siege that destroyed nearly a third of their city.
Today, Strasbourg is once again French and the largest city in the Alsace region. Large crowds gather daily in the Cathedral Square, with many failing to notice the unexploded shell hiding in plain sight. It hangs right above a busy café in the facade of the Hôtel Cathédrale.
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