Le Point de Convergence (The focal point)
Informations
Strategically located in Place d'Austerlitz, Le Point de Convergence is an urban feature designed to help enhance the city of Strasbourg’s heritage.
Its very name refers to the location and destiny of this city, which has always been a confluence and convergence point. A base (at a height making it accessible for a curious child but also for wheelchair-bound visitors) sits below a bronze model of the Grande Ile, listed as UNESCO World Heritage since 1988, a modern version of the relief map dating from 1727 which can be found in the History Museum just a stone's throw away.
This detailed, house-by-house map is clear and easy to follow, while the sheer finesse of the workmanship is truly remarkable. As the first model of this type produced in France by the German artist Egbert Broerken, this cast bronze work is very impressive thanks to its sheer meticulousness. The names of the main roads are shown in braille to enable partially sighted and blind visitors to get an idea of the layout of the surrounding environment.
Le Point de Convergence has been designed for all kinds of visitors and is therefore made for both admiring and touching, giving passers-by, families, groups, parents, children, teachers and pupils a foretaste of Strasbourg's amazing sites and rich heritage.
For tourist guides, Le Point de Convergence is a directional aid which offers so much more than a simple town map and a great place to welcome visitors from all over the world as they begin their visit to the Grande-Ile.
The sculpture’s bas-reliefs were designed by the Alsatian artist Raymond-Emile Waydelich.
The project was managed from start to finish by Christophe Fleurov, and the sculpture was inaugurated by Roland Ries, the Mayor of Strasbourg, in October 2012.
Source : otstrasbourg.fr
Logging requirements
To validate your find, there are some simple tasks to fulfill on site. Please answer these questions first :
- Question 1
Find out where you are on the map (the small dog from the cathedral could help you). Which year is the closest you can read ? (under the Z of Austerlitz)
- Question 2
Go around the map and look carefully at the sides. How many storks can you find ?
- Question 3
Look for the side with the big tools. A gargoyle shouts at them. What is it shouting ? (Hint : it's an alsatian expression)
- Question 4
Go to the Petite France(virtually !) and look for the Vauban dam. Embark on a boat and follow the Ill (the lower river. The upper is a canal) until the Quai des Pêcheurs. During the trip, how often could you read "L'Ill" on the map ?
- Question 5
Go to the Place du Château (virtually too) at the foot of the cathedral. 3 Letters are engraved. Which ones ?
- Then, please take a picture of you and/or your GPSr at the Point de Convergence (your face does not need to be visible). Please just be careful, not to disclose any answer in your images !
And finally, you can log this cache as "Found" and send me your answers proposals, either via my profile, or the geocaching.com messenger (Message Center). I will contact you if something's wrong.
Virtual Reward - 2017/2018
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between August 24, 2017 and August 24, 2018. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards on the Geocaching Blog.