History of Strasbourg remained neutral during the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648), and retained its status as a Free Imperial City. However, the city was later annexed by Louis XIV of France to extend the borders of his kingdom. Louis' advisors believed that, as long as Strasbourg remained independent, it would endanger the King's newly annexed territories in Alsace, and, that to defend these large rural lands effectively, a garrison had to be placed in towns such as Strasbourg. Indeed, the bridge over the Rhine at Strasbourg had been used repeatedly by Imperial (Holy Roman Empire) forces, and three times during the Franco-Dutch War
Strasbourg European Fantastic Film Festival of Astro-Monster and The War in Space. More guests were invited during this edition with the presence of François Schuiten, Benoît Peeters, Luigi Cozzi, Jean Pierre Berthome and Jean Alessandrini. In 2008 the festival joined the European Fantastic Film Festivals Federation (EFFFF) as an adherent member and changed its name to "Strasbourg European Fantastic Film Festival". In addition to its usual screenings the festival added two competitions, respectively between European short films and European feature films. The SEFFF invited Lamberto Bava, Caroline Munro, Philippe Nahon and Jean-François Rauger to become the festival's first jury. Finally during this edition the festival