Alsace
Alsace is a region in the northeast of France that has close historical links with Germany.
Cities
- Strasbourg — the capital of the region and occasional location of the European parliament
- Colmar — a renowned tourist destination, 40 km to the south of Strasbourg
- Husseren-les-Châteaux
- Kaysersberg
- Kehl
- Mulhouse - sharing its airport with Basel
- Ribeauvillé
- Riquewihr
- Selestat
Other destinations
Understand
Alsace has through its history changed hands between Germany and France on several occasions. The local culture is distinct, and the region offers historic cities and castles, and interesting countryside. A popular itinerary is the Alsatian Vineyard Route - fabulous for walking from town to town trying a whole bunch of local wines.
Alsace also has some of the most beautiful cathedrals and churches in Western Europe. The stunning Strasbourg Cathedral is a unique example of a mix of roman and gothic architecture and has the peculiarity of having one tower only and of being built with pink Vosges gres.
Due to their tumultuous past history, Alsatians are extremely proud to be French and take great offence in being mistaken for Germans when they go overseas or inland France. You will not see more French flags on the streets of any other inland French cities. Alsatians have a very deep attachment to France even if the French Government has not always reciprocated. During WWI, all Alsatians men were sent by the Germans to the Russian front. Some boys managed to escape before being sent there and went to Paris to enrol in the French army. This act of courage however came at a dire price as the family of those "malgré nous" would often be killed or sent to concentration camps.
The Bas-Rhin is the northern departement of Alsace; Haut-Rhin refers to the departement south of Selestat.
Alsace is divided East by the Rhine river (also forming the natural border between France and Germany) and West by the Vosges mountain range.
Talk
French is the official language and spoken by everyone, young and old. German dialect is still widely spoken by the older generation and in the more rural areas. The English language can be still limited to the younger generation. In some areas, the population may still use the native German dialect of Alsacien, an Allemanic German dialect similar to that spoken across the German border in western Baden-Württemberg or in northwestern Switzerland, but you will always find someone who can speak French fluently. Knowledge of standard German has again become important for economic reasons, but certainly English is more likely to play this role.
The Alsacien dialect was widely spoken in the big cities before WWII. After the war, people were discouraged from speaking anything else but French and children were even punished if heard speaking Alsacien on the playground.
In the last 30 years, the Alsacien dialect has rapidly declined and therefore the French Government has put in place some measures to try and save it. Children at school can take in optional "Regional Language and Culture" lessons and can even choose this subject as an optional one in their final high school examination. To an unexercised ear, Alsacien might sound very similar to standard German, when it is in fact very different. As there is no written grammar, Alsacien is pretty much a free agent and whenever new words come into the everyday vocabulary, people will normally choose the French word over the German ones. Today, Alsacien is enjoying a small resurgence with many communities,(including Strasbourg),posting bi-lingual street signs in both standard French and Alsacien dialect as the stigma associated with German culture is no longer an issue.
Get in
The Haut-Rhin département is served by Euroairport, the airport that serves Mulhouse, Basel and Freiburg, with excellent links by road and train to these cities. Budget airline Easyjet offers links to London and Liverpool. A smaller airport also exists at Entzheim, near Strasbourg. But the easiest way to get in is by road. The Bas-Rhin département is linked to Paris and the rest of France by the A4 highway and the N4 road, when the Haut-Rhin is linked to west by the N59 road (via the tunnel of Ste-Marie-aux-Mines) and to the south (Belfort) by the A36 highway. Other small roads link Lorraine to Alsace, but they're all really winding since they go through the Vosges. The main access to Switzerland is the A35 highway (between Mulhouse, France and Basel, Switzerland). If you arrive from Germany, you can cross the Rhine easily at one of several bridges.
Alsace has an extensive rail network due to its shared borders with Germany and Switzerland, with rail links to both of these countries passing through the region. The Strasbourg train station (Gare de Strasbourg) is served by both the French TGV and German ICE high-speed rail networks, although the station is not along high-speed rail lines (both TGV & ICE reach Strasbourg on regular electrified tracks). A high-speed rail line from Paris to Strasbourg is expected to be completed in 2016 and will be the fastest rail line in Europe, at an operational speed of 320 km/h; the first phase of this line is complete and runs from Paris to east of Metz. When complete, the Paris-Strasbourg trip will take just 1 hour, 50 minutes (down from 4 hours originally and 2 1/2 hours after completion of the first phase).
Rail links to Freiburg and Basel are found at Mulhouse, and Strasbourg has direct connections to Germany, Paris and other cities in France.
Get around
It is best to have a car so you can explore all the little villages, stop for wine tastings and see the ruins of castles. The area is well served by train.
See
- River cruise. River cruise on Strasbourg's "Ill" canal
- Ecomuseum of Ungersheim. Where traditional houses from all over the region have been transferred into one place
- Riquewihr Traditional Winemaking village.
- Cité de l'automobile (National Motor Museum - Collection Schlumpf), Mulhouse. Discover the fantastic Fritz Schlumpf collection. Bugatti, Rolls Royce, Ferrari, Hispano Suiza. They're all there, in an area covering 17,000 m², 400 exceptional cars from among the most famous. There are giant screens, simulators, reconstructions truer than real life, games.
- Cité du Train. Visit the Cité du Train or French Railway Museum in Mulhouse. Through the 15,000 m² of the largest train museum in France, discover the history of French railway.
- 1 Lalique Museum (Musée Lalique), Rue du Hochberg, Wingen-sur-Moder (About 2 km northwest of Wingen-sur-Moder (served by TER Alsace rail) on Rue du Hochberg (D919)). Daily 10:00-19:00 Apr-Sep & December; Tu-Sa 10:00-18:00 Feb, Mar, Oct, Nov; Closed in January. A very large collection of works by René Lalique, a renowned French glassmaker and jeweler active from the 1880s until his death in 1945. The museum is adjacent to the sole production facility operated by Lalique (the company he founded), opened in 1921 and is located on the site of a glass-making factory dating to the 18th century. €6 adults; €3 children 6-18; children under 6 are free.
Do
- A drive or bike where the Vosges mountains meet the Rhine valley is a highlight of a visit to Alsace.
- Drive on the Wine Road (Route du Vin) and visit all the small villes fleuries and wine towns.
Eat
Alsatian cuisine is very distinctive; heavily German-influenced with a Gallic flavour. According to Alsatians, sauerkraut (French: choucroute) was invented here. In addition, a traveller can expect to find tarte flambée (an onion, bacon, and crème fraîche 'pizza' - Flammkuchen in German), Baeckehoffe and all sort of Charcuterie in abundance in Alsatian restaurants, nestling alongside escargots, "cuisses de grenouilles" and crème brûlée. Alsace is the smallest region in France, but it possesses the largest number of five-star chefs per inhabitant.
Drink
The Alsatian Vineyard Route is a veritable rite-of-passage for the discerning wine buff. Visit the Vins Alsace website [1] for further information.
Alsace is also home to some of the best and most renowned beers in the world, like Kronenbourg, Kanterbrau or Fischer.
Stay safe
Alsace is a predominantly rural region with a low crime rate. Visitors to Strasbourg should heed the same advice for any major city; do not flash cash, be sympathetic but not gullible with beggars; don't wander down dark alleys alone.
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