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The missing link - a new railroad line between Colmar and Freiburg im Breisgau

Physical location
Collectivité européenne d'Alsace - 100 avenue d'Alsace, 68000 Colmar, France

Exhibition of student work at the headquarters of the Collectivité européenne d’Alsace – © Dominik Neidinger / ENSAS

This collective exhibition of student work continues its itinerary through Alsace: after its inauguration last October at Art’Rhena as part of the Journées de l’architecture, it is currently on show for two weeks in the Agora at the headquarters of the Communauté européenne d’Alsace in Colmar.

The exhibition shows the results of a cross-border workshop that brought together students from ENSA Strasbourg, ENSA Grenoble and ENSA Paris-la Villette in the first half of 2025.

The participants were asked to study the feasibility of a new railroad line between Colmar (France) and Freiburg im Breisgau (Germany), and more specifically the section between Colmar and the German town of Breisach am Rhein. This line, which crosses the Franco-German border along the Rhine, was partially destroyed during the Second World War and is now set to become a link between the two countries once again. The project is one of the 15 priority projects of the Treaty of Aachen, and studies for its realization are underway.

The students drew up prospective scenarios for the development of towns, villages and landscapes on the Upper Rhine between these two communities. Drawings, illustrations and models highlight the rehabilitation of existing buildings, the densification of station areas, the revitalization of villages and the transformation of landscapes along the railroad line, which is due to be reactivated.

At ENSA Paris-la Villette, Master 2 students in the P904 project workshop “Le lien manquant”, supervised by teachers Christian Horn and Quentin Le Norment, took part in the project.

The exhibition is open free of charge from Monday to Friday, 8:00 am to 12:00 pm and 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm.
On Friday, February 27, 2026, a guided tour of the exhibition and a discussion between teachers, students and local players will take place from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm.

Event