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Although Alsace has been part of France multiple times in the past, the region had no direct connection with the French state for several centuries. From the end of the Roman Empire (5th century) to the French annexation (17th century), Alsace was politically part of the German world.
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Alsace, historical region and former région of France, incorporated since January 2016 into the région of Grand Est. As an administrative entity, it encompassed the départements of Haut-Rhin (“Upper Rhine”) and Bas-Rhin (“Lower Rhine”) and was bounded by the régions of Lorraine to the west and Franche-Comté to the southwest. Switzerland lies to the...
Natural boundaries in Alsace include the Vosges Mountains to the west and the Rhine River to the east. 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. Alsace is one of the more fertile regions in central Europe. The hills are generally richly wooded, chiefly with fir, beech, and oak. Annual precipitation is relatively low, ranging from 20 to 28 inches (500 to 700 mm).
Alsace has a rich, highly intensive agriculture characterized by small farms. This is particularly true of the vineyards that dominate the foothills of the Vosges. Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Sylvaner, Auxerrois, and Pinot Blanc are among the notable white wines produced. 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. Parts of the alluvial plain of Alsace (e.g., west of Strasbourg) are devoted to cereals, but industrial crops are also widely cultivated and include sugar beets, hops, and tobacco. The region is also known for its asparagus and foie gras.
The industrial economy of Alsace is strong and diversified. Textile manufacturing, based in and around Mulhouse, is one of the region’s oldest industries, though now it has little importance. Machinery production, in part related to textiles, and food and beverage industries (milling, brewing, canning) are also long established. More recent industries include automobile assembly and component manufacture, pharmaceuticals, electronics, and telecommunications. Much of the investment in industry originates outside France, notably in Germany, Japan, and the United States. A large number of workers from Alsace commute to factories in Germany and Switzerland. The service sector has grown rapidly in fields such as retailing, business services, higher education, and research. Strasbourg in particular has benefited from this trend.
Outside the Vosges massif, Alsace is densely populated (twice the national average) and has a well-developed urban network dominated by the cities of Strasbourg, Mulhouse, and Colmar. Rural population densities are among the highest in France. A network of motorways traverses Alsace, and a regional airport is located in Strasbourg. There is also an extensive port and industrial zone bordering the Rhine. Apart from its use as a waterway, the Rhine is used to generate hydroelectric power, and a nuclear power station stands on its banks at Fessenheim.
The area was conquered by the Roman legions of Julius Caesar in the 1st century bce and had been profoundly Romanized by the time of the invasion of the Alemanni in the 5th century ce. The Alemanni, however, were conquered by the Franks under Clovis in 496, and Alsace became a Frankish duchy. Under Merovingian rule the area was Christianized and colonized.
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Alsace was incorporated into Lotharingia in the mid-9th century and was united with the German territories of the Carolingians by the Treaty of Mersen (870). It was attached to what became known as the Holy Roman Empire until the 17th century. During that period its territory was divided into a number of secular and ecclesiastical lordships and municipalities, which remained significant until the French Revolution. The medieval period was also marked by the growing importance of its cities—e.g., Strasbourg, Colmar, and Haguenau, which, with the support of the emperors, gradually freed themselves from their feudal overlords.
Protestantism made important gains in Alsace during the Reformation, and Strasbourg, where the reformer Martin Bucer was especially prominent, became the centre of Alsatian Protestantism. That city’s Protestant influence was countered, however, by the resolute Roman Catholicism of the Habsburgs, who tried to eradicate heresy in upper Alsace.
French influence began to be felt in Alsace late in the 16th century, during the Wars of Religion. This influence grew during the Thirty Years’ War, when the Alsatian cities, caught between the opposing Catholic and Protestant sides and feeling their liberties threatened, appealed to France for help. The Peace of Westphalia (1648) gave France an informal protectorate over Alsace, and full control was established during the reign of Louis XIV, after the French had occupied Strasbourg in 1681.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Alsace is not Germany, but not quite France either. The relationship between Alsace and the rest of France remains complex to this day. In 2011, former French President Nicolas Sarkozy made an awkward slip when he commented on being in Germany, when he was actually in the Alsatian town of Truchtersheim.
- Almost half of the regional population speaks Alsatian. Alsatian is a Germanic dialect spoken in Alsace. Even though the French government forbade the use of Germanic languages in schools in 1945, the dialect saw something of a revival in the 1970s when a number of independent movements fought against the state's crackdown on regional languages.
- Alsatian is influenced by French and German, and isn't just spoken in Alsace. Alsatian plays with German and French words and can sometimes be a combination of the two.
- Alsatian cuisine is neither completely French nor German. To me, the best part of any new culture is the food, and Alsatian cuisine is one of my favourites.
Apr 3, 2024 · Alsace-Lorraine, area comprising the present French départements of Haut-Rhin, Bas-Rhin, and Moselle. It was ceded by France to Germany in 1871 after the Franco-German War. It was returned to France in 1919 after World War I, ceded again to Germany during World War II, and again retroceded to France in 1945.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Aug 5, 2020 · Alsace is an inland region in northeastern France, bordering Germany and Switzerland and situated primarily on plains formed along the west bank of the Rhine River. The Vosges mountains lie to the west, while the Black Forest and Jura mountain ranges are found to the east and southeast, respectively.
- Courtney Traub
Since then, suzerainty and effective control have shifted among competing European powers, including the Kingdom of Alamannia, the Frankish Empire, Lotharingia, the Holy Roman Empire, France, and the German Empire. Alsace has remained part of France since the end of the Second World War.
Feb 8, 2022 · About the Alsace region. 2. History of the Alsace region. 3. Geography of the Alsace region. Topography of Alsace. The climate of the Alsace region. The emblematic fauna of Alsace. The lynx. The chamois. The wolf. The white stork. The administration of the Alsace region. Bas-Rhin. Haut-Rhin. Alsace’s main cities. 4. The economy of the Alsace region
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