Explore and experience Alsace

The massif of the Vosges gradually gives way eastward to the plain of Alsace, while to the south the region of Sundgau in southern Haut-Rhin rises to the Jura Mountains. Fall in love with the most mythical of wine routes Alsace is the most bicycle-friendly region of France,citation needed with 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi) of cycle routes. However, the abandoned Maurice-Lemaire tunnel towards Saint-Dié-des-Vosges was rebuilt as a toll road. Alsace is furthermore famous for its vineyards (especially along the 170 km of the Route des Vins d'Alsace from Marlenheim to Thann) and the Vosges mountains with their thick and green forests and picturesque lakes. A gastronomic symbol of the région is the Choucroute, a local variety of Sauerkraut.

Geography of the Alsace region

However, visitors to Alsace can see indications of renewed political and cultural interest in the language – in Alsatian signs appearing on hoardings and in car windows, as well as in new official bilingual street signs in Strasbourg and Mulhouse. The constitution of the Fifth Republic states that French alone is the official language of the Republic. Increasingly, French is the only language used at home and at work, and a growing number of people have a good knowledge of standard German as a foreign language learned in school. This situation has spurred a movement to preserve the Alsatian language, which is perceived as endangered, a situation paralleled in other régions of France, such as Brittany or Occitania. Few young people speak Alsatian today, although there do still exist one or two enclaves in the Sundgau region where some older inhabitants cannot speak French, and where Alsatian is still used as the mother tongue.

Die Vorteile des LUX Holzdübel-Sets im Überblick

Here, the Latin and German worlds collide, and this is reflected in the city’s culture, architecture and inimitable Alsatian style. Nature lovers and outdoor enthusiasts will find invigorating escapes by heading further up to the Massif des Vosges (Vosges Mountains). With its splendiferous cathedral and irresistible backdrop of old half-timbered houses and canals, the city of Strasbourg sets the tone. Alsace is idiosyncratic and colorful at the same time, and that’s why it’s so appealing. With an intriguing mix of French and German influences, Alsace is a distinctive region that leaves you wondering exactly where you are. Join our community to get discounts, travel inspiration and trip ideas – just in time for summer!
Colmar is the principal centre of the wine-growing region, whose vineyards extend in a narrow strip along the lower slopes of the Vosges west of the city. A string of picturesque villages, well-known wine-producing towns and exceptional landscapes await you, for a delicious getaway. "Alsatia", the Latin form of Alsace's name, entered the English language as "a lawless place" or "a place under no jurisdiction" prior to the 17th century as a reflection of the British perception of the region at that time. The local German dialect was rendered a backward regional "Germanic" dialect not being attached to German. In more recent years, the Alsatian language is again being promoted by local, national and European authorities as an element of the region's identity.
In spite of consecutive wars between Germany and France, which have severely affected Alsace, the region has been able to protect its rich heritage of churches and castles. The hilly region is covered with pine, beech and oak woods, orchards, pastures, fields and ponds filled with carp, dotted with a multitude of wealthy villages. Located between glitzbets casino registration the Plain of Alsace, the Rhine River, the Vosges and the Jura mountains, the Sundgau region has its own distinctive geographic character. At each mountainside, the road travels along bucolic countrysides, opening up views of mountain passes, rounded mountains, lakes, rocks, pastures and forests of majestic pines. Symbolically, the Route des Crêtes marks the border between Lorraine and Alsace, between the Romance and Germanic language worlds. The road follows a ridgeline route of 80km, linking the towns of Thann to Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines.

PLACES TO SEE IN FRANCE

Deep restructuring has affected main activities such as car manufacturing (Peugeot is the region’s first employer with an important site in Mulhouse). The alsatian industry has been facing diversification, particularly since 2004 when many potassium mines (Mines de potasse d’Alsace or MDPA) were closed for good. However, because of its concentration in wine-growing, tobacco, hop, hemp and sauerkraut cabbage production, agriculture in Alsace is reputed to be high-value-added. The region has one of France’s lowest unemployment rates (8.4% in 2011). Alsace is a prosperous region, ranking third in France after Ile-de-France and Rhône-Alpes. Alsace is the first export region of France based on the export value per inhabitant.

• Cities such as Colmar and Hagenau also began to grow in economic importance and gained a kind of autonomy within the “Décapole” (or “Zehnstädtebund”), a federation of ten free towns.
• If you see just one thing in Colmar, make it the Petite Venise (Little Venice) quarter, at the southern edge of the old city.
• Alsace has a strong tradition of pottery making, and nowhere is that clearer than in the villages of Betschdorf and Soufflenheim, about 49km (31 miles) north of Strasbourg.
• It is estimated that 28,000 jobs are generated by tourism in Alsace, which represents 3.5% of the regional workforce in summer.
• The traditional habitat of the Alsatian lowland, like in other regions of Germany and Northern Europe, consists of houses constructed with walls in timber framing and cob and roofing in flat tiles.
• The region’s diverse landscapes include forests, lakes, and rolling hills.

Obernai Christmas Market: Alsace’s Charming Hidden Gem

The population grew rapidly, from 800,000 in 1814 to 914,000 in 1830 and 1,067,000 in 1846. At the same time, some Alsatians were in opposition to the Jacobins and sympathetic to the restoration of the monarchy pursued by the invading forces of Austria and Prussia who sought to crush the nascent revolutionary republic. Mulhouse (a city in southern Alsace), which had been part of Switzerland since 1466, joined France in 1798. "La Marseillaise" was played for the first time in April of that year in front of the mayor of Strasbourg Philippe-Frédéric de Dietrich. On 21 July 1789, after receiving news of the Storming of the Bastille in Paris, a crowd of people stormed the Strasbourg city hall, forcing the city administrators to flee and putting symbolically an end to the feudal system in Alsace.

• Whether you’re drawn to its Christmas markets, outdoor adventures, or gastronomic delights, Alsace promises an unforgettable journey through one of France’s most distinctive and alluring destinations.
• Today, the mountain range provides a habitat for about 30 lynxes.
• In Alsace, the wines are mostly named after the variety of the grapes and not after the land on which they are produced.
• It is common to see new official bilingual street signs in Alsatian cities and villages.
• Derived from the above, “Alsatia” was historically a cant term for the area near Whitefriars, London, which was for a long time a sanctuary.

Even if they are for the most part in ruins, their silhouettes, perched at the top of the Vosges Mountains, have been a part of the countryside for centuries, thus defying time. Alsace is one of the regions of France that has retained the most medieval castles. The touristic itinerary Route Romane d’Alsace (Romanesque Road of Alsace) links the region’s best examples of Romanesque architecture in Alsace.

Taking the shape of a crescent, this “blue banana” is a continuous corridor of urbanisation with a population of 110 million, which adds up to three-quarters of the EU’s purchasing power. The Upper Rhine region, of which Alsace is part, is located at the heart of the European Megalopolis, which stretches from Liverpool to Geneva. Saint-Louis and its suburbs form part of the Basel agglomération in Switzerland, which comprises 830,000 inhabitants in Swiss and German towns.
If you’re after great white wines, you’ll be in seventh heaven. Vines march up the hillsides to castle-topped crags and the mist-shrouded Vosges, and every so often an exquisitely preserved medieval village invites you to stop and soak up the atmosphere. Corkscrewing through glorious countryside, the entire route stretches 170km (105 miles) from Marlenheim. This is certainly not your typical Alsatian destination, but the area around Ensisheim, north of Mulhouse, will appeal to travelers after something different.
Get inspired by destinations chosen in this year's Best in Travel list. Most beautiful villages of France Alsace promises the journey of a lifetime! French Moments is about promoting the French culture and language through its website and social network.

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Like the rest of France, only the spire of the parish church signals the presence of colourful and elegant villages between two hills. Throughout its course, it is sometimes in Lorraine and sometimes in Alsace. Many town names have become synonymous with rich traditions, friendliness, prosperity and great wines. Several cities and villages along the Alsace Wine Route have become famous and attract a very large crowd of visitors during the summer months and Christmas, where they have beautiful Christmas Markets.
Though the ban has long been lifted and street signs today are often bilingual, Alsace–Lorraine is today predominantly French in language and culture. However, in a Decree of 18 December 1952, supplemented by an Order of 19 December of the same year, optional teaching of the German language was introduced in elementary schools in communes in which the language of habitual use was the Alsatian dialect. After World War II, the French government pursued, in line with its traditional language policy, a campaign to suppress the use of German as part of a wider Francization campaign. The population was forced to speak German and 'French' family names were Germanized. During a reannexation by Germany (1940–1945), High German was reinstated as the language of education. After 1918, French was the only language used in schools, particularly primary schools.
In recent times, villagers started to paint the rendering white in accordance with Beaux-Arts movements. The traditional habitat of the Alsatian lowland, like in other regions of Germany and Northern Europe, consists of houses constructed with walls in timber framing and cob and roofing in flat tiles. While 39% of the adult population of Alsace speak the dialect, only one in four children speak it, and only one in ten children uses it regularly.