Place de la République is a square surrounding a circular public garden crossed by a north-west and a south-east axis. The area was originally occupied by a section of the city walls, which were demolished after the Franco-Prussian War. An ancient Jewish cemetery was located on grounds near to the river; it is assumed to be the place where the Jews of Strasbourg were burned at the stake in 1349. Place de la République was designed by architect Jean-Geoffroy Conrath as the conspicuous and grandiose entrance of the "Neustadt" opposite the ancient Grande Île city center on the other side of the Ill. The layout and construction of the square began in 1880. It was then called Kaiserplatz. Ginkgo biloba trees, which were presented by Emperor Meiji of Japan to his German counterpart, were planted in the central garden in the 1880s; those trees still stand today. Conversely, a purple beech and a fern-leaf beech, planted between 1883 and 1887, were felled by a storm in the night of the 19–20 June 2019.
In the very centre of the square stands a War memorial statue by Léon-Ernest Drivier, inaugurated in 1936. It represents a mother holding two dead sons, alluding to the dual nature of Strasbourg's History between Germany and France. The memorial replaces an equestrian statue of Emperor Wilhelm I, commissioned in 1897, that stood on the square from 1911 until 1918.
The building now housing the Théâtre national de Strasbourg was originally built as the seat of the Parliament of Alsace-Lorraine. It was designed by August Hartel and Skjold Neckelmann in a radically different Neorenaissance style than Hermann Eggert's, and built in 1888–1889. It is classified as a monument historique since 1992.
The Bibliothèque nationale et universitaire was built from 1889 until 1895, also in the Neorenaissance style, again by Hartel and Neckelmann. It is classified as a monument historique since 2004.
Hôtel des impôts
This Baroque Revival building was built from 1899 until 1902 by Ludwig Levy, the architect of the Great Synagogue of Strasbourg. It was originally used as the seat of several ministries: agriculture, infrastructure and finances. It is classified as a monument historique since 1996.
Préfecture
The Préfecture de la région Grand-Est et du département du Bas-Rhin was built from 1907 until 1911, based on designs by Ludwig Levy. The façade was decorated with statues of lions by Alfred Marzolff. The building also housed ministries of Alsace-Lorraine. It is a more austere example of Baroque Revival architecture than its older counterpart. It is classified as a monument historique since 1996.
A work of art called Spirale Aby Warburg, le monument aux vivants by Luxemburgish artist Bert Theis was installed on the square in 2002. It can be and is used as a bench.
Pont du Théâtre
Place de la République and the Grande Îlecity center are connected by the stone arch bridgePont du Théâtre. That bridge was reinforced with concrete and partly modified in 1999–2000 in order to allow for the passage of the tramway.
Transportation
As of 2017, Place de la République is served by the Strasbourg tramway lines B, C, E and F, and by the CTS buses 15a and 72.
