"Elsaß" redirects here. For the battleship, see SMS Elsaß. For the region of the German Empire, see Alsace-Lorraine.
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Place in European Collectivity of Alsace, France
Alsace
Elsàss(Alemannic German)
Views of Cernay, Colmar, Strasbourg, Château de Hohenbourg, Riquewihr, Neuf-Brisach
Flag
Coat of arms
Anthem: "Elsässisches Fahnenlied"(German) (English: "Song of the Alsatian Flag") Instrumental version, 2023[1]
Country
France
Territorial collectivity
European Collectivity of Alsace
Prefecture
Strasbourg
Departments
2
Bas-Rhin (67)
Haut-Rhin (68)
Area
[2]
• Total
8,280 km2 (3,200 sq mi)
Population
(Jan. 2021)[3]
• Total
1,919,745
• Density
230/km2 (600/sq mi)
Demonym
Alsatian
GDP
[4]
• Total
€67.748 billion (2022)
• Per capita
€35,800 (2022)
ISO 3166 code
FR-A
Part of a series on
Alsace
Rot un Wiss, traditional flag of Alsace
History
Germania Superior (Pagus Alsatiae) (83–475)
Alemanni (circa 213–496)
Alamannia (3rd-century–911)
Duchy of Alsace (circa 630–699)
Treaty of Verdun (843)
Prince-Bishopric of Strasbourg (982–1803)
County of Ferrette (11th-century–14th-century)
Salm (1165−1793)
Landgraviate of Alsace (1186–1646)
Lower Alsace
Upper Alsace
Further Austria (13th-century–1648)
Décapole (1354–1679)
County of Hanau-Lichtenberg (1456–1736)
Upper Rhenish Circle (1500–1679)
Imperial Territory of Alsace-Lorraine (1871–1918)
Gau Baden-Elsaß (1940–1945)
Alsace (1945–2016)
Grand Est (2016–)
European Collectivity of Alsace (2021-)
Culture
Coat of arms
Flag
Anthem
People
Language
Demographics
Musée alsacien (Hagenau | Strasbourg)
Religion
according to Concordat in Alsace-Moselle (1801): (including Lorraine)
Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Strasbourg (Immediately subject to the Holy See)
(Prince-Bishopric of Strasbourg)
(Lorraine: Roman Catholic Diocese of Metz)
Protestantism: Union of Protestant Churches of Alsace and Lorraine:
Lutheranism:
Protestant Church of the Augsburg Confession of Alsace and Lorraine
Calvinism:
Protestant Reformed Church of Alsace and Lorraine
Jewish consistories:
Strasbourg
Colmar
(Lorraine: Metz)
Law
Local law in Alsace-Moselle
Concordat in Alsace-Moselle
Administrative divisions
Capital: Strasbourg
Bas-Rhin (Unterelsaß)
Arrondissement of Haguenau-Wissembourg
Arrondissement of Molsheim
Arrondissement of Saverne
Arrondissement of Sélestat-Erstein
Arrondissement of Strasbourg
Haut-Rhin (Oberelsaß)
Arrondissement of Altkirch
Arrondissement of Colmar-Ribeauvillé
Arrondissement of Mulhouse
Arrondissement of Thann-Guebwiller
Politics
Regional Council of Alsace (1982–2015)
Alsace independence movement
Assembly of Alsace (2021-)
Alsace in the European Union
European Parliament elections
Constituency
Related topics
Politics of France
Politics of Germany
Politics of the European Union
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Alsace (/ælˈsæs/,[5]US also /ælˈseɪs,ˈælsæs/;[6][7]French:[alzas]ⓘ; Low Alemannic German/Alsatian: Elsàss [ˈɛlsɑs]; German: Elsass (German spelling before 1996: Elsaß.) [ˈɛlzas] ⓘ; 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. In January 2021, it had a population of 1,919,745.[3] Alsatian culture is characterized by a blend of German and French influences.[8]
Until 1871, Alsace included the area now known as the Territoire de Belfort, which formed its southernmost part. From 1982 to 2016, Alsace was the smallest administrative région in metropolitan France, consisting of the Bas-Rhin and Haut-Rhin departments. Territorial reform passed by the French Parliament in 2014 resulted in the merger of the Alsace administrative region with Champagne-Ardenne and Lorraine to form Grand Est. On 1 January 2021, the departments of Bas-Rhin and Haut-Rhin merged into the new European Collectivity of Alsace but remained part of the region Grand Est.
Alsatian is an Alemannic dialect closely related to Swabian, although since World War II most Alsatians primarily speak French. Internal and international migration since 1945 has also changed the ethnolinguistic composition of Alsace. For more than 300 years, from the Thirty Years' War to World War II, the political status of Alsace was heavily contested between France and various German states in wars and diplomatic conferences. The economic and cultural capital of Alsace, as well as its largest city, is Strasbourg, which sits on the present German international border. The city is the seat of several international organizations and bodies.
^"Elsässisches Fahnenlied [Anthem of Alsace][+English translation]". YouTube.
^"La géographie de l'Alsace". region.alsace. Archived from the original on 12 December 2015. Retrieved 13 January 2016.
^ abCombined 2021 population of the departements of Bas-Rhin and Haut-Rhin: "Populations légales des départements en 2021". INSEE. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
^"EU regions by GDP, Eurostat". Retrieved 18 September 2023.
^"Alsace". Lexico UK English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on 17 March 2020.
^"Alsace". The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (5th ed.). HarperCollins. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
^"Alsace". CollinsDictionary.com. HarperCollins. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
^Leichtfried, Laura (23 February 2017). "Alsace: culturally not quite French, not quite German". British Council. Archived from the original on 23 February 2017. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
former administrative regions, Alsace, Champagne-Ardenne and Lorraine, on 1 January 2016 under the provisional name of Alsace-Champagne-Ardenne-Lorraine (pronounced...
eastern France. Located at the border with Germany in the historic region of Alsace, it is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin department. It is the official seat...
Alsace wine or Alsatian wine (French: Vin d'Alsace; German: Elsässer Wein; Haut Rhin Alsatian: d'r Wii vum Elsàss; Bas Rhin Alsatian: de Win vum Elsàss)...
Racing Club de Strasbourg Alsace (commonly known as RC Strasbourg, Racing Straßburg, RCSA, RCS, or simply Strasbourg; Alsatian: Füeßbàllmànnschàft Vu Stroßburri)...
The history of Alsace has been influenced by the Rhine and its tributaries, a favorable climate, fertile loess soils, and the region's relative accessibility...
Grand Est region of north-eastern France. The third-largest commune in Alsace (after Strasbourg and Mulhouse), it is the seat of the prefecture of the...
Odile of Alsace, also known as Odilia and Ottilia, born c. 662 - c. 720 at Mont Sainte-Odile), is a saint venerated in the Catholic Church and the Eastern...
[myːlˈhaʊzn̩] ); meaning "mill house") is a city of the European Collectivity of Alsace (Haut-Rhin department, in the Grand Est region of France), close to the...
"Ardennes-Alsace" battle credit (the entirety of U.S. First, Third and Seventh Armies), which includes losses suffered during the German offensive in Alsace, Operation...
The Battle of Alsace was a military campaign between the Allies, mainly French, and the Germans in Alsace, eastern France, from 20 November 1944 to 19...
Société Air Alsace was an airline with its head office on the grounds of the Colmar-Houssen Aerodrome in Colmar, France. Air Alsace began as an air taxi...
The history of the Jews in Alsace is one of the oldest in Europe. It was first attested to in 1165 by Benjamin of Tudela, who wrote about a "large number...
Miss Alsace is a French beauty pageant which selects a representative for the Miss France national competition from the region of Alsace. The first Miss...
Alsace Grand Cru is an Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée for wines made in specific parcels of the Alsace wine region of France. The Grand Cru AOC was recognized...
The Tour Alsace (or Tour d'Alsace) is a five-day road bicycle race held annually in Alsace, France. It was first held in 2004 and it is a 2.2 rated event...
The European Collectivity of Alsace (French: Collectivité européenne d'Alsace; Alsatian: D'Europäischa Gebiatskärwerschàft Elsàss; German: Europäische...
The Duchy of Alsace (Latin: Ducatus Alsacensi, Ducatum Elisatium; German: Herzogtum Elsaß) was a large political subdivision of the Frankish Empire during...
Nancy 1790–1871 Meurthe (river) Ceased to exist following the annexation of Alsace-Lorraine by the German Empire in 1871 and was not recreated after the province...
This list of castles in Alsace is a list of medieval castles or château forts in the region in northern France. Alsace comprises two departments, Bas-Rhin...
Issenheim (French pronunciation: [isənaim] ; German: Isenheim) is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. The Isenheim...
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