Campus Tour

The University of Strasbourg has 6 campuses (Strasbourg, Schiltigheim, Illkirch-Graffenstaden, Colmar, Haguenau and Sélestat) which are easily accessible by public transport, with buses and trams operated by the Compagnie des transports strasbourgeois (CTS).

Campuses

The University of Strasbourg has 6 campuses:

Strasbourg;
Schiltigheim;
Illkirch-Graffenstaden;
Colmar;
Haguenau;
Sélestat.

These campuses are places of learning, research and life that are constantly evolving: old buildings are renovated, new buildings are built, new facilities are installed.

Caution !

The University of Strasbourg is a smoke-free campus

Check out the Campuses Map

Virtual Campus Tour

Getting Around

Origin of the names of university buildings

Pangloss

Pangloss means "the one who speaks all languages." It is a symbol of linguistic diversity. Pangloss was built in 2000 to house the University of Strasbourg's Languages and Communication department, the Institut International d'Études Françaises (IIEF), the Institut de Traduction et d'Interprétariat-Relations Internationales (ITI-RI) and the Service de Ressources et d'Autoformation en Langues Etrangères (SPIRAL).

Institut Le Bel

Originally part of the Louis-Pasteur University, the Institut Le Bel was named after the chemist Joseph-Achille Le Bel, who researched stereochemistry and chirality, continuing the work begun by Louis Pasteur. Pasteur had discovered chirality by studying tartaric acid in wine barrels.

Patio, Portique and Atrium

The Patio, Portique and Atrium take their names from architectural features. The Patio provides a central open space at the heart of the building; the horizontal walkway between the two buildings gives the Portico its name; and the entrance to the Atrium consists of a long, glazed gallery running the length of the façade.

Escarpe

Escarpe was built on the remains of 15th century fortifications. They can be seen in the basement, but are not open to the public. Escarpe takes its name from these fortifications: the escarpe is the embankment above the moat that surrounds a fortified building.

Cardo

The Cardo, previously known as "PAPS-PCPI" and situated on the historical site of the Strasbourg Civil Hospital, has been repurposed by two university clusters in 2020: the Pôle d'administration publique de Strasbourg (Paps), uniting Sciences Po Strasbourg and the Institut de préparation à l'administration générale (Ipag); and the Pôle de compétence en propriété intellectuelle (PCPI), housing the Institut européen entreprise et propriété intellectuelle (IEEPI), the Institut national de la propriété industrielle (INPI), and the Centre d'études internationales de la propriété intellectuelle (Ceipi).

In the historical context, a cardo or cardo maximus was the north-south axis in a Roman camp, with the decumanus serving as the east-west axis. Typically, the forum, the city's political and economic center, was located at the intersection of these two axes, influencing the urban layout of new towns.

In Strasbourg, the decumanus aligned with the rue des Hallebardes and the rue des Juifs, while the cardo followed the axis of the rue du Dôme. The decision to construct the new building within the hospital precinct stemmed from a desire to open up the civil hospital area towards the city's heart. This initiative aimed to create a north-south axis from the city and quays to the hospital site. The main entrance of the building opens onto this axis, providing a view of the city and quays from its internal street facing the city center.