France · Grand Est · Strasbourg
Krutenau, Strasbourg — Area Guide & Where to Stay
Krutenau is a district of Strasbourg, on the left bank of the Ill just southeast of the Grande Île. Rue de la Krutenau runs through the middle. Once market gardens and fishing wharves, it grew up outside the walls of the medieval island city and was later drawn inside them. The University of Strasbourg sits close to its eastern edge. Students fill its bars after dark.
About Krutenau
Where to stay in Krutenau
Not every neighbourhood fits every trip — here's what each one is good for.
Staying in Krutenau puts you a footbridge from the Grande Île while keeping clear of the busiest tourist streets. The quarter leans young and lively: its bars, wine cellars and late kitchens draw students from the nearby university, so light sleepers may prefer the quieter lanes down toward the water. Beds here sit in converted townhouses and small guesthouses rather than big hotels.
It suits night owls. The Musée alsacien and Saint-Nicolas Church are a short walk across the Ill. For a wider choice, most of Strasbourg's hotels cluster on and around the Grande Île.
About Krutenau
What are the main landmarks in Krutenau?
Krutenau keeps few monuments of its own; the draw is the concentration of sights just across the Ill. On the opposite quay stand the Musée alsacien, in a row of old timbered houses, and the Saint-Nicolas Church. Cross the Pont du Corbeau and the Palais Rohan gathers three collections: the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Strasbourg, the Musée des Arts décoratifs de Strasbourg and the Musée archéologique de Strasbourg.
The Strasbourg Historical Museum stands beside the same bridge, with Saint William's Church a short way north. Little of this stands in Krutenau itself.
What is the history of Krutenau?
The name Krutenau comes from the Alsatian for a cabbage meadow, a reminder that this was once wet garden land beside the Ill. Gardeners, fishermen and boatmen worked its left bank. The quarter lay outside the ramparts of the medieval island city until the growing town enclosed it within the walls.
For centuries artisans and market traders filled its lanes. The University of Strasbourg, rising to the east, slowly pulled it toward student life.
Where is Krutenau?
The district occupies the left bank of the Ill, across the water from the Grande Île and its Quai Saint-Nicolas. Its northern edge runs beside the river, opposite the église Saint-Guillaume. To the east lie the University of Strasbourg and the German-era Neustadt.
Quai des Bateliers traces the waterfront, and the Pont du Corbeau carries foot traffic across to the island. Rue de la Krutenau threads south.
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Updated July 2026