Alsace

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Quick Facts

Alsace (French: Alsace; Alsatian: Elsàss; German: Elsass, pre-1996: Elsaß; Latin: Alsatia)

Smallest of the regions. Alsace is located on France's eastern border and on the west bank of the upper Rhine adjacent to Germany and Switzerland. The political, economic and cultural capital as well as largest city of Alsace is Strasbourg. Due to that city being the seat of dozens of international organizations and bodies, Alsace is politically one of the most important regions in the European Union.

The name "Alsace" derives from the Germanic Ell-sass, meaning "Seated on the Ill"[1], a river in Alsace. The region was historically part of the Holy Roman Empire. It was gradually annexed by France in the 17th century under kings Louis XIII and Louis XIV and made one of the provinces of France. Alsace is frequently mentioned in conjunction with Lorraine, because German possession of parts of these two regions (as the imperial province Elsaß-Lothringen (English: Alsace-Lorraine), 1871–1918) was contested in the 19th and 20th centuries, during which Alsace changed hands four times between France and Germany in 75 years.

In 1792, Rouget de Lisle composed in Strasbourg the Revolutionary marching song La Marseillaise, which later became the anthem of France.

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Church History and Records

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Description and Travel

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Authority used to create this category: CIA World Factbook.