This part of France
is made up of two historic territories, Alsace
and Lorraine, in which there are six départements:
Vosges, Meurthe-et-Moselle, Meuse, Moselle, Bas-Rhin, Haut-Rhin
and the territory of Belfort. These territories
have see-sawed from French to German control during conflicts between
the two countries for centuries. The major cities of the area are
Strasbourg, Metz, Nancy and Colmar.
Strasbourg is by far the largest and
most important city in this region. As the name suggests, a city
on a highway, the highway being the east–west trade and invasion
route and the north–south river for commerce. Today, it is
the headquarters of the European Parliament and
the European Court of Human Rights, but it is rich
in historic monuments and architecture and a magnificent cathedral.
Metz, a Gallo-Roman city, is located
in a strategic position as a defence point and is also a crossroads
of the trade routes. It contains some elegant medieval walls, arches
and public buildings, but its pride is the Cathedral of
St-Étienne. Nancy is best known
for its perfectly proportioned Place Stanislas,
gracefully surrounded with elegant wrought-iron gates. The history
of Lorraine is excellently documented in the town’s
museum.
A visit to Colmar can give a pleasant glimpse into
the Middle Ages, and it is one of the most agreeable cities in Alsace,
as well as being capital of the Alsatian wine country. The narrow,
winding, cobbled streets are flanked by half-timbered houses and
painstakingly restored by the burghers of the city. The 13th-century
Dominican Convent of Unterlinden, now a museum,
contains some important works from the 15th and 16th centuries,
including the exquisite Grünewald triptych.
Colmar is a perfect place from which
to set out along the Route du Vin (Wine Route)
stopping at many of the appealing towns along the way to taste the
local wine. Turckheim, just outside Colmar, has
some of the best-preserved array of 15th and 16th century houses
in the district and a town crier takes visitors through the streets
at night to recall the atmosphere of old.
The town of Eguisheim, with its Renaissance fountain
and monument in the village square, is also a charming Alsatian
town with many historic houses and wine cellars open to the public
for wine-tasting. Kayersberg (the birthplace of
Dr Albert Schweitzer, whose house has been turned
into a museum with mementoes of his work and life, also has some
castle ruins on a hill overlooking the town and a picturesque stream
that meanders through the town. A popular town with tourists is
Riquewihr, with its 13th and 14th century fortifications
and belfry tower and its many medieval houses and courtyards. St
Hippolyte is another picturesque wine-tasting town at the
foot of the Haut-Koenigsbourg Castle, a sprawling
and impressive medieval castle where Jean Renoir
filmed La Grande Illusion. Self-steer boats are
readily available for canal cruising. There are also regularly scheduled
Rhine river and canal tours daily all summer, several
hotel boats ply these waterways as well. Helicopters and balloons
make regular sightseeing flights, weather permitting. Ancient steam
trains make regular circuits including Rosheim/Ottrat
(on the wine route), at Andolsheim a steam train
runs along the Canal d’Alsace between Cernay
and Soultz.
Throughout Alsace there are artisans’ workshops, including
glass and wood painting at Wimmenau and pottery
in Betschdorf where studios and shops are open
to the public. Organised walking tours that include overnight stops
and meals en route are arranged from Colmar and
Mulhouse. Bicycle trails are marked along the Rhine,
where bicycles are readily available for hire.
Belfort,
a major fortress town since the 17th century, commands the Belfort
Gap, or Burgundy Gate, between the Vosges
and the Jura mountains. Dominating the routes from
Germany and Switzerland, it became famous during the Franco-Prussian
war of 1870-71 when it withstood a 108-day siege. This is commemorated
by a huge stone statue, the Lion of Belfort, by
Bartholdi, the creator of the Statue of Liberty. The ‘route
du vin’ lies between the Rhine and a low range of pine-covered
mountains called the Vosges. The flat, peaceful
plain is covered with vineyards and orchards. Pretty, rural villages
dot the landscape, their church spires piercing the horizon.
The wines of Alsace have a long history, the Alsatian
grapes were planted before the arrival of the Romans. It has never
been clearly understood where they originated and unlike other French
wines, these depend more on grape type than soil or processing.
Almost exclusively white with a fruity and dry flavour, they make
an excellent accompaniment to the local food. Beer also goes well
with Alsatian food, and as might be expected, good beer is brewed
in both the Alsace and the Lorraine
areas. There are famous and popular mineral water sources in Contréxeville
and Vittel (also a spa town). They were well known
and appreciated by the Romans and today are the most popular in
France.
One of the food specialities of Alsace is truite
bleue, blue trout, which is simply boiled so fresh as to
be almost alive when tossed into the water. The swift rivers provide
gamey trout and they can be fished by visitors if permits are obtained
at any city hall. The cooking is peppery and hearty and quite unlike
that of any other French region. Munster, a strong
winter cheese, is usually served with caraway seeds. Lorraine and
Alsatian tarts are made with the excellent local fruits: mirabelles
(small, yellow plums), cherries, pears, and so on. Each of these
fruits also makes a world-renowned eau-de-vie, a strong white alcohol
liqueur drunk as a digestive after a heavy meal. Lorraine
is famous for quiche lorraine made only in the classical manner:
with cream, eggs and bacon. Nancy has boudin (blood
sausage), although this is found in the rest of France. |
