Aubette

The Aubette is a neoclassical landmark built in 1765 that occupies the entire northern flank of Place Kléber, Strasbourg's central square. Originally constructed as the guardhouse of the city's garrison, it underwent a remarkable transformation in 1928 when Theo van Doesburg, Sophie Taeuber-Arp, and Jean Arp redesigned its upper-floor ballrooms and entertainment halls as a De Stijl total artwork — abstract geometry applied to walls, ceilings, and floors simultaneously. The interiors were painted over for decades but have been painstakingly reconstructed since the 1980s and are now open to visitors on the first floor as a classified historic monument. At street level, the building functions as a modern shopping center and food court, making the Aubette an unusual pairing of early-20th-century avant-garde heritage and contemporary everyday commerce.