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Alsace (/ æ l ˈ s æ s /, US also / æ l ˈ s eɪ s, ˈ æ l s æ s /; French: ⓘ; Low Alemannic German/Alsatian: Elsàss; German: Elsass (German spelling before 1996: Elsaß.) ⓘ; Latin: Alsatia) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in eastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine next to Germany and Switzerland.
- 8,280 km² (3,200 sq mi)
- FR-A
- Alsatian
- France
- Overview
- Geography
- History
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
Treaty of Versailles after World War I causes German cession of Alsace to France: France: French; Alsatian, French, German 1940–1944: Nazi Germany conquers Alsace, establishing Gau Baden-Elsaß: Nazi Germany: German; Alsatian, French, German 1945–present: French control: France: French; French and Alsatian German (declining minority language)
Alsace–Lorraine ( German: Elsaß-Lothringen ), officially the Imperial Territory of Alsace-Lorraine ( German: Reichsland Elsaß-Lothringen ), was a former territory of the German Empire, located in modern day France. It was established in 1871 by the German Empire after it had occupied the region during the Franco-Prussian War.
Feb 6, 2023 · Baden Baden to Colmar: Approx 1.5 hours by car or just less than 2 hours by train. Strasbourg. The region of Alsace, France is the perfect blend of French and German cultures, cuisines, and architecture and Strasbourg embodies it all perfectly!
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Drive • 1h 9m. Drive from Baden-Baden to Alsace 103.5 km. €17 - €25. Quickest way to get there Cheapest option Distance between.
Baden as a unified state was recognized as a sovereign member of the newly formed German Confederation by the Congress of Vienna in 1814–15. The state also managed to keep most of the territorial gains it had achieved during the Napoleonic period. In 1836 Baden joined the Prussian Zollverein, or Customs Union.
