Alsace

Alsace Make the most of your time in Alsace, use the information provided on this web site by clicking on the links to plan your visit.

With an area of 8283km² Alsace is the smallest region of metropolitan France. Located on France’s eastern border, adjacent to Germany and Switzerland, Alsace is made up of the departments of Haut-Rhin and Bas-Rhin. Its capital and largest city is Strasbourg. Alsace has a semi-continental climate with cold, dry winters and hot summers.

For one thousand years Alsace formed part of the frontier of the Holy Roman Empire. Its towns and villages still have their Porte de France, the start of the road leading west to whatever part of France was not at that time being disputed between Galls, Romans, Englishmen, Burgundians, Swedes, Spaniards and others . Alsace is frequently mentioned in conjunction with Lorraine as the possession of both regions (as Alsace-Lorraine) has often been contested. Between the 17th and the 20th centuries Alsace changed hands between France and Germany several times. As a result the culture of the region is rich and most Alsatains consider themselves to embody the best attributes of both countries. Nearly all Alsatians speak a little German as well as French and many are completely bilingual. As a result, visitors to the area might find their version of French difficult to understand as it is heavily accented and strongly influenced by the German language.

The fertile plain of Alsace is very picturesque, with its vine-covered slopes, castles and pretty medieval walled villages with half-timbered houses, wrought-iron shop signs and red sandstone churches. To the east lie the Vosges mountains with their thick, green forests and picturesque lakes; they rise to 1424m at their highest point, the Grand Ballon. There are many well-signposted paths for cross-country skiers and summer walkers alike to enjoy along the hilltops or valleys.

Alsace Alsace is an important wine-producing region, with most of the vins d’Alsace being white. Grape varieties include Riesling, Muscat, Sylvaner and Gewürztraminer. The Route du Vin, which is 120 km long takes the tourist through the pretty villages, many of which enjoy a high reputation for excellent wines. Alsace is also the main beer-producing region of France with many breweries in and around Strasbourg.

Alsatian cuisine is strongly influenced by Geman culinary traditions and offers dishes rather unlike those served elsewhere in France such as bretzels, kougelhopf and other delicious bakery; sauerkraut known by its French name of choucroute; baeckeoffe; tartes flambées; fleischnackas and fried carp in Southern Alsace . There an enormous number of inns and restaurants throughout the region in which to sample the local cooking.
Among the crafts which abound in Alsace, the visitor may be attracted by the brightly-coloured pottery of Soufflenheim; the grey-and-blue earthenware of Betschdorf, intended for use rather than mere decoration; painted wooden furniture and household objects; printed cloth; folk art glass paintings; inlaid wood. It is advisable to purchase goods from craftsmen and shops bearing the sign Souvenir de France – Alsace Authentique.

For generations the symbol of Alsace has been the stork. Unfortunately the stork population dropped from over 170 pairs in 1948 to just five pairs in 1976. As a result the Centre for the Reintroduction of Storks was set up at Hunawihr, where eggs are incubated and the young storks are raised by hand and in semi-captivity for three years until they lose all instinct to migrate. The nest sites on many house and church roofs have gradually been re-colonised, and storks are once again to be seen flying over Alsace.