NEW DOCKS BATORAMA

During the summer of 2026, new docks for Batorama’s boats will be brought into service.

This project is the result of collaborative work between Batorama, the various departments of the City and the Eurometropolis of Strasbourg, including the Building Police, the State’s decentralized services, and in particular the Chief Architect of the Bâtiments de France. It is overseen by a full project management team led by the architectural firm Clerc-Détolle-Thiébaut Architectes, responsible for the design of the structures and the coordination of technical and inspection offices.

“The new docks have been designed to enhance the visitor experience and to accommodate a new generation of Batorama boats, such as the Strasbourg, the new 100% electric vessel launched in March 2025,” explains Isabelle Burget, CEO of Batorama. These new docks will allow Batorama visitors to be welcomed, guided and waited outside of public areas. They will ensure better-managed arrivals, improved flow regulation, clearer directions and significantly reduced congestion along the quay.

Project description

The project includes replacing the current gangways with four floating docks dedicated to Batorama’s sightseeing boats, as well as a smaller dock for NAO (a piloted leisure boat).

© BadLab perspective / Clerc-Détolle-Thiébaut Architectes

The architectural design ensures harmonious integration into its heritage and urban environment. It draws on extensive research into historical uses of waterways. The project’s features take inspiration from the typologies and layouts of historical bateaux-lavoirs, with a discreet open composition using noble and durable materials.

“The approach for this site was unique. We began by exploring historical features capable of providing the project with strong anchoring and respectful dialogue with its surrounding heritage. Fully integrated into its site, the project responds to and merges multiple uses, offering a discreet expression in relation to the existing built environment,” says Maude Thiébaut, lead architect.

The project preserves key perspectives identified in Strasbourg’s Safeguarding and Enhancement Plan (PSMV) through close consultation with the Chief Architect of the Bâtiments de France (UDAP) and the Building Police.

Each dock is connected by gangways, allowing visitors to move freely across the entire structure without returning to the quay. Outside peak hours, this creates a genuine riverside promenade. The docks are equipped with technical equipment to provide electrical power to the boats during midday breaks. Dock D includes a self-service ticket machine.

Travaux nouveaux pontons Cathédrale Batorama - édicule technique Place du marché aux poissons

A technical structure will also be installed on Place du Marché aux Poissons. It will house the electrical relay equipment needed to charge the new electric boats at midday. Designed in close collaboration with the Chief Architect of the Bâtiments de France, it will evoke the sober, balanced style of the early 20th‑century structure that once stood in the same location and will feature two integrated ticket counters.

Project timeline

General deployment of the construction site

Early March

Survey work

17.03.2026

Start of works on the lower bank of Quai au Sable for the installation of the two temporary docks Travaux berges Quai au sable

23.03.2026

Start of utility and infrastructure works (VRD) on Place du Marché aux Poissons Travaux Place du marché aux poissons

24.03.2026

Delivery and installation of the temporary docks at Quai au Sable

The temporary docks 1 and 2 will welcome our visitors during the first phase of the works, which will involve docks B and C at the Cathédrale landing stage

Installation des pontons provisoires Quai au sable

From late March to mid‑April (Phase 1)

Start of roadworks on the quay between Place du Marché aux Poissons and the Pont du Corbeau and continuation of the utility works on Place du Marché aux Poissons

The quay will not be accessible → exclusive use of the Quai au Sable landing stage

From mid‑April to early June (Phase 2)

Installation of the first section of docks, from Pont du Corbeau to the staircase of Impasse de la Grande Boucherie

This part of the quay will be inaccessible → use of the Quai au Sable landing stage and pontoon A

From mid‑June to late July (Phase 3)

Installation of the second section of docks, from Impasse de la Grande Boucherie to the access ramp from Place du Marché aux Poissons

This part of the quay will be inaccessible → use of the Quai au Sable landing stage and pontoons C and D

Improved clarity of the boarding area

The installation of the new docks will make identifying boarding points much easier:

Clear, distinct boarding zones
More intuitive spatial organization
Smooth circulation for both visitors and residents

Starting in early March, Batorama will implement a new seat‑allocation algorithm, allowing passengers to know their assigned place on board in advance.

This reconfiguration marks a major step toward more comfortable, safer and more harmonious access along the quays.

A structure designed to guide, welcome and soothe

The new docks will enable visitors to wait outside public areas.

They have also been designed to significantly improve accessibility for persons with reduced mobility. As floating and stable structures, they will allow wheelchair users to board the new‑generation boats.

This represents major progress:

It ensures equitable access to the Batorama experience
It offers a smooth, secure and dignified boarding process without constraints or special arrangements

“By opening boarding to everyone on the new boats, these docks will make accessibility an everyday reality. They will enhance the inclusiveness of our visitor offering while aligning with Batorama’s mission to welcome all audiences under the best possible conditions,” adds Isabelle Burget.