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 park of the agglomeration. The most recent park is "Parc du Heyritz" (8,7 ha), opened in 2014 along a canal facing the "hôpital civil". For a city of comparatively small size, Strasbourg displays a large quantity and variety of museums: Unlike most other cities, Strasbourg's collections of European art are divided into several museums according not only to type and area, but also to epoch. Old master paintings from the Germanic Rhenish territories and until 1681 are displayed in the "Musée de l'Œuvre Notre-Dame", old master paintings from all the rest of Europe (including the Dutch Rhenish territories) and until