Strasbourg Podcasts

The best Strasbourg listening starts with something wonderfully strange. Echoes of the Ancients gives the city rare top billing in The Dancing Plague of 1518: When Strasbourg Was Possessed by Rhythm. It is the clearest choice for anyone who wants an episode built around Strasbourg rather than a fleeting reference. The title promises history with a taste for the uncanny, centred on plague, possession and collective movement.

Substantial coverage beyond that episode is thin. Strasbourg more often appears inside a wider historical narrative, where the city matters to the story without becoming the whole story.

Plague, mystery and spectacle

For a second route into the dancing theme, History on Fire has [RERUN] EPISODE 62: Plagues, Mystery and Dancing. The title does not name Strasbourg, so expect a broader treatment rather than a tightly bounded city history. Its leisurely solo style suits listeners who enjoy long historical storytelling, scene-setting and digressions.

These two shows offer the most natural pairing. Start with Echoes of the Ancients for the explicit Strasbourg episode, then try History on Fire if the combination of plague and dancing is what caught your attention.

Strasbourg inside European history

The audiobook-style France in the Nineteenth Century by Elizabeth Wormeley Latimer (1822 - 1904) places the city—spelled Strasburg—in a named chapter: 06 - Chapter III. Louis Napoleon's Early Career. -- Strasburg, Boulogne, Ham, part 2. Its other relevant appearance comes within 23 - Chapter XIV. The Prussians in France, part 1. This is the more formal option: Strasbourg enters as one location within a much larger account of France, so it rewards listeners happy to follow the surrounding narrative.

Religious-history podcasts provide context rather than a dedicated Strasbourg story. Modern Church History - Msgr. Witt touches the city while ranging across subjects announced in Episode 15: Calvin's City of God (April 12, 2019) and Episode 16: Charles V: A Man with Too Many Countries (April 19, 2019). Likewise, History of the Catholic Church from the Renaissance to the French Revolution: Volume 1 by Rev. James MacCaffrey (1875 - 1935) carries its references inside Progress of Calvinism, Part 1 and Progress of Calvinism, Part 2. Choose these for the broader religious setting, not for a standalone guide to the city.

A passing place in football conversation

Strasbourg also surfaces in French football discussion, but here the coverage is incidental. French Football Weekly is a brisk, informal panel show whose relevant run includes FFW J22 - Pierre Surge, FFW J23 - All Sass à la Meinau, FFW J24 - Velodrama and FFW J28 - Serena Williams. None is presented as a Strasbourg explainer. Football conversation comes first here, making the show useful for encountering the city through current sporting talk, though less useful for anyone seeking history or travel guidance.

Where to start

Begin with Echoes of the Ancients and The Dancing Plague of 1518: When Strasbourg Was Possessed by Rhythm. Follow it with History on Fire for a more expansive plague-and-dancing narrative. For older European history, move to 06 - Chapter III. Louis Napoleon's Early Career. -- Strasburg, Boulogne, Ham, part 2 from France in the Nineteenth Century by Elizabeth Wormeley Latimer (1822 - 1904).

Featured shows below are part of the PlayNext catalog. Updated weekly.