L’escalier de la Gare l’Est

The Gare de l’Est is recognizable by the massive, brooding statue of a woman perched high above the central gable. She represents the city of Strasbourg, looking resolutely toward the east. Built in eighteen forty-nine, the station served as the primary departure point for trains heading to the German border. During the First World War, this building became the main artery for French soldiers departing for the front lines, and it saw millions of troops pass through its iron gates.