Alsace in a few words

A ls ce
’s Elsàss
in a few words...
contents
Hystory of Alsace
FROM PREHISTORIC TIMES TO THE HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE
OF THE GERMAN NATION .................................................5
FROM FRENCH KINGS TO THE REVOLUTION AND THE EMPIRE.....5
FROM THE GERMAN EMPIRE TO THE LIBERATION IN 1945 .......6
ALSACE, MEMBER OF EUROPE ..........................................7
The Alsace Region
THE REGION ................................................................9
A STRONG SENSE OF IDENTITY ...........................................9
HIGHER EDUCATION .....................................................11
A DYNAMIC ECONOMY ...................................................11
AN INTERNATIONAL ROLE ...............................................14
A FAVOURABLE GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION ...........................15
HERITAGE AND CULTURE ................................................16
GASTRONOMY AND VINEYARDS ........................................17
Alsace: a territorial authority
HISTORY ...................................................................19
FUNCTIONS ...............................................................19
OPERATION................................................................22
2
editorial
Situated at the heart of modern
Europe, for a long time Alsace was a
border region, much fought over by
the various powers. The impact of
these past divisions and conflicts
can still be felt, having given rise to
a double culture which now
characterizes this Rhineland region
and remain obvious for any outsider
Philippe RICHERT to see. The local dialect which is still
very much alive, the place names,
Ministre chargé des
Collectivité Territoriales the architectural heritage,
gastronomy, customs and love of the
people for the landscape and the
Président du Conseil
environment all bear witness to this
Régional d’Alsace
dual heritage.
Deeply rooted in tradition, Alsace is
one of the most dynamic and multifaceted areas of France and of
Europe. Strong demographic growth
has been a major contributing factor,
differentiating Alsace from all the
other French regions North of the
Loire river. Resulting economic
achievements include success in the
biotechnology and automotive
sectors, as well as the food and
tourism industries. This positive
momentum has been further
enhanced by the recent introduction
of an East European fast train (TGV)
and the soon-to-be-introduced
Rhine-Rhone fast train (TGV).
Welcome to Alsace, a region steeped
in history and tradition, all with an
eye on the future.
A region capable and determined to
compete with the best. A champion
of Europe.
3
History
of Alsace
4
History of Alsace
FROM PREHISTORIC TIMES TO THE
HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE OF THE
GERMAN NATION
helped to settle the Germanic tribes of
the Triboques in the North and the
Rauraques in the South and protected
the border with military camps along
the Rhine.
Long before Louis XIV discovered
Alsace and exclaimed “What a
beautiful garden”, the low-lying area
between the Vosges mountains and
the Black Forest was nothing but a
vast and inhospitable swampland due
to its position between the Ill and
Rhine rivers. There is thus little
evidence that remains of the
Paleolithic and Neolithic age. It was
during the Bronze age that the first
settlers began to arrive. Around the
fifth century BC, the last wave of Celts
arrived from the Danube, civilizing the
Plain of Alsace and establishing
various structures, including the
Oppidum of Britzgiberg (settlement
in an administrative area of Ancient
Rome) and the “Pagan Wall” around
Mount Sainte Odile.
From 166 AD invasions by the Vandals
and the Alemanni left the country in
ruins. In 352 AD the Alemanni had
taken over the entire plain and formed
the basis for what was to become the
Alsatian people.
First a Duchy under the Merovingians,
then a County under the Carolingians,
Alsace became a part of the Frankish
Empire until the signing of the Treaty
of Verdun (843 AD) which separated it
from Charlemagne and placed it under
the rule of Lothar I. Upon the death of
Lothar II, who died without leaving a
legitimate heir, the Treaty of Mersen
(870 AD) gave Alsace to Louis the
Germanic. Cities of the region began
to flourish during the 12th century
with emancipation from the major
feudal lords and protection from the
emperor. It was during this period that
the League of Ten Cities –the
Decapole– was formed. Despite the
many disasters that hit the country
(the Hundred Years' War, the Black
Death of 1349, the Thirty Years' War
and other feudal wars) prosperity
prevailed.
The Gallic tribe of the Sequanes
replaced the Celts but was threatened
by the Eduens of Burgundy. They thus
called upon the support of the Sueves,
a Germanic tribe under Arioviste, who
came to settle on the Plain of Alsace.
Julius Caesar then came to the rescue
of his allies and beat Arioviste at the
battle of Ochsenfeld in 58 BC. Rome
FROM FRENCH KINGS TO THE
REVOLUTION AND THE EMPIRE
At the signing of the Treaty of Münster
in 1648, the Germanic emperor
relinquished the Landgraviate of
Upper and Lower Alsace and the
League of Ten Cities to France.
Strasbourg was initially excluded from
the treaty, but Louis XIV, weakened by
the war with Holland, wanted to
establish his capital in the Decapole
and so had the city annexed. This was
5
the German Empire. Intense
Germanization then ensued. Blunders
committed by the Germans and
nostalgia for Napoleonic glory made
France even more attractive in the
eyes of the Alsatians. During this time,
industry developed, benefitting both
the German as well as the French
markets and Alsatian parliamentarians in the Reichstag progressively
began to be afforded the same
consideration as their colleagues from
other German States.
formalized by the Treaty of Nimègue in
1678. Alsace continued to prosper for
another century, governed by an
intendant based in Strasbourg and
the Sovereign Council in Colmar.
Privileges, except for religious ones,
were largely preserved.
Welcomed with enthusiasm, the
French Revolution had the merit of
reuniting Alsace and France on the
basis of the same democratic
freedoms. However an excess of terror
and religious persecution tarnished
the image of the revolution in Alsace.
After the victory of 1918, Alsace was
handed back to France and a Governor
General was sent to govern Alsace.
Everything then became extremely
Gallicized. The arrival of French civil
servants, who did not speak German
and were ill-informed of the
specificities of the region, as well as
the desire of President Henriot to edit
out local legislation, pushed a part of
the population towards supporting the
separatist movements. However
political problems did not prevent
Alsace from thriving thanks to its
potassium resources, the textile
industry and agriculture.
During this period (1789-1815), Alsace
extended its borders to include Mulhouse
(1798) and French-speaking Switzerland.
Industry and agriculture was widely
developed during this era by the
governing authority headed by Prefect
Lezay-Marnésia. The Concordat of 1801
brought religious peace back to the
region.
During the height of Napoleonic power,
Alsace provided 70 generals in defense
of the Empire. After Napoleon was exiled,
the second Treaty of Paris saw Alsace
lose its Northern territory. In the
plebiscite of 1850 Alsace voted
massively in favour of the Empire
(Napoleon III), but being more concerned
with its economic development, lost
interest in political matters.
In 1939, four hundred thousand
Alsatians were evacuated to the South
FROM THE GERMAN EMPIRE TO
THE LIBERATION IN 1945
After the disastrous events that
marked 1870, Alsace became a part of
6
History of Alsace
ALSACE, MEMBER OF EUROPE
It was in Strasbourg that the first
Council of Europe meeting took place
on 9 May 1949. Strasbourg is the host
city of the European Parliament and
has become the capital of Europe.
Alsace has since found its true destiny:
Europe!
West of France during the “strange
war”. In 1940 Alsace was annexed by
Germany and underwent intense
Nazification. This led to the expulsion
of French supporters, the incorporation
of forces into a war which they fought
“despite themselves” and the creation
of a concentration camp at Struthof.
Strasbourg was finally liberated on
23 November 1944 and Colmar on
2 February 1945.
KEY DATES
842
855
1354
1648
1790
1871
1911
1918
1919
1940-1944
1944
1949
The Oaths of Strasbourg were taken by Charles the Bald
and Louis the Germanic against their oldest
brother Lothar
Alsace became a part of the Holy Roman Empire
of the German Nation
Formation of the Decapole, a league of the ten free cities
of Alsace
The Treaty of Westphalia gave Alsace to the Kingdom
of France
Alsace was divided into two departments: Bas-Rhin
(Lower Rhine) and Haut-Rhin (Upper Rhine)
By the Treaty of Frankfort, the German Empire annexed
Alsace, except the area surrounding Belfort and a part
of Lorraine
Adoption of the Alsatian Constitution (31/5)
Occupation of Strasbourg by French troops (22/11)
The Treaty of Versailles returned Alsace to France
During German occupation, Alsace was annexed
to the III Reich
The French troops under General Leclerc liberated
Strasbourg (23/11)
First meeting of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg (9/5)
7
The Alsace
Region
8
The Alsace Region
THE REGION
Alsace’s huge reputation belies its
status as France’s smallest region,
comprising just two départements:
Haut-Rhin (upper Rhine) and BasRhin (lower Rhine); it is one of the
country’s most densely populated
regions, however, with 223 inhabitants
per square kilometre and a total
population of more than 1.8 million
(INSEE estimates, 2009).
Germany and Switzerland, Alsace also
occupies a strategic position at the
heart of Europe, maintaining close
contact with its neighbours.
u
Alsace has three major urban centres:
Strasbourgu, which is a European
capital, a regional metropolis and the
seat of both the Alsace regional
prefecture and the Bas-Rhin
prefecture; Mulhousev, the HautRhin’s industrial capital; and
Colmarw, its administrative capital.
v
Covering an area of 8,280 km², or
1.5% of the country, Alsace’s rich and
varied landscapes are a pleasure to
explore. They include two regional
parks and 21 nature reserves. The
region’s highest point is Le Grand
Ballon, at an altitude of 1,424 m.
w
Located between the Rhine river and
the Vosges mountains and bordering
A STRONG SENSE OF IDENTITY
Use of the regional dialect is doubtless
one of the most obvious
manifestations of the sense of identity
shared by many Alsatians. While the
dialect is less commonly used in cities,
it is omnipresent in rural areas: 40%
of Alsatians speak it fluently.
9
Clearly, therefore, Alsatian is one of
France’s most enduring regional
languages. No wonder global giant
Microsoft decided in 2006 to trial an
Alsatian version of Microsoft Office!
Alsatian is also bolstered by local
legislation – much of it a legacy of
periods of German annexation –
applicable to various areas (such as
social insurance, the pension scheme
and the Concordat).
PROMINENT FIGURES BORN IN ALSACE INCLUDE:
Jean-Baptiste KLÉBERu (1753-1800)
General in the French revolution
Frédéric BARTHOLDIv (1834-1904)
Sculptor of the Statue of Liberty
u
Albert SCHWEITZER (1875-1965)
Protestant theologian, philosopher, doctor and 1952 Nobel Peace Prize winner
William WYLER (1902)
Director of the feature film Ben Hur
Le Mime MARCEAU (1923-2007)
Mime artist and stage and silent film actor
v
w
Tomi UNGERER (1931)
Children’s illustrator and author
Jean-Marie LEHN (1939)
1987 Nobel Chemistry Prize winner
w
Sébastien LOEB (1967)
Five-time world rally champion
10
The Alsace Region
the city’s university campus and
making it more attractive and
competitive in a climate of increased
European
and
international
competition.
HIGHER EDUCATION
Alsace’s higher education sector
makes an active contribution to the
region’s standing, attracting nearly
66,000 students to courses offered by
high-powered research centres and
vocational courses embedded in the
region.
In 1989, the upper Rhine universities
of Strasbourg, Mulhouse, Basel,
Freiburg im Breisgau and Karlsruhe
grouped together to form a tri-national
university network: the European
Confederation of Upper Rhine
Universities (EUCOR).
Strasbourg is also home to the
Institute of Advanced European
Studies (IHEE), which researches
political, institutional, economic and
historical aspects of European issues.
The region offers a wide range of
higher education courses in various
disciplines with the option of two
universities (the University of
Strasbourg, France’s biggest university
and the University of Haute-Alsace in
Mulhouse), nearly a dozen engineering
schools and grandes écoles, a
European public administration pole
including the Ecole Nationale
d’Administration (ENA) and numerous
other courses for advanced
technicians.
A DYNAMIC ECONOMY
Alsace is one of France’s most dynamic
and prosperous regions: in 2007, its
GDP of € 28,470 per inhabitant
represented 2.7% of national GDP
(INSEE estimates), making it the fourranking French region. Its
unemployment rate is below the
national average: in the fourth quarter
of 2009, the unemployment rate was
approximately 8.8% in Alsace and
10% in France as a whole (INSEE
estimates). Alsace is also a young
region, with approximately 25% of the
population aged under 20 in 2008,
and 55% aged 20 to 59 (INSEE
estimates).
Formerly comprised of three separate
institutions, on 1 January 2009 the
universities in Strasbourg merged to
form the Single University of
Strasbourg, with a view to upgrading
11
enterprises (VSEs). With VSEs
accounting for 91% of its businesses,
Alsace is in line with the national
average. The proportion of SMEs and
large companies, on the other hand, is
much higher than the national
average; they account for 11.42% and
0.10% of all businesses respectively.
There are more than 7,500 SMEs and
64 large companies in the region.
(INSEE 2006)
It is one of France’s most industrial
regions. A range of industries are
present, including the automobile,
petrochemical, biopharmaceutical and
agri-foodstuffs sectors.
Industrial production accounts for
about 19.4% of Alsace’s GDP and
20.3% of its jobs (INSEE 2008). The
economy’s main driving force is now
the tertiary sector, however, which
provides nearly 71% of jobs. Tourism
plays a vital role, generating nearly
22,000 jobs in the region in the year
2008 (INSEE estimates).
Alsace is the fourth-ranking region
when it comes to attracting French
visitors. The agricultural sector is
dominated by vineyards and hops.
The region’s economic fabric revolves
around small and medium-sized
enterprises (SMEs) and very small
MAIN ECONOMIC FIGURES
GDP (2008) • € 28,470 per inhabitant (2.7% of national GDP)
Average net annual full-time salary (2007) • € 22,640
Unemployment rate (4th quarter of 2009) • 8.8%
(10% for France)
Business start-ups (new start-ups, takeovers and relaunches,
2008) • 8,093
Exports • France’s 5th-ranking exporting region (CIF/FOB trade, excluding military equipment)
Density of the banking network (2006) • France’s 2nd banking
centre, with one branch for every 1,774 inhabitants
12
The Alsace Region
As France’s second banking centre
(after Paris) and third scientific centre
(as at September 2007), Alsace is
seeing growing capital investment
and the development of numerous
local facilities conducive to siting and
starting up businesses.
future vehicles and forms of
mobility; its three programmes
focus on clean vehicles, smart
vehicles and transport networks,
and industry excellence.
• The Eastern France Natural Fibres
competitiveness hub brings
together the Alsace and Lorraine
wood, paper and textile sectors with
a view to identifying and developing
new fibre functionalities, technologies and technical uses.
It features three competitiveness
hubs, one of which has a global focus:
• The Therapeutic Innovations hub,
which merged with the Alsace
Biovalley association in 2008 to
form the Alsace Biovalley cluster.
The purpose of this cluster, which
has a global focus, is to speed up
the discovery, development and
exploitation of therapeutic
innovations capable of responding
to the major health challenges of
the future: increasingly complex
forms of treatment (drugs and
high-technology equipment), new
therapies combining drugs and
technology, and personalised
medicine. The hub, whose research
has won international recognition,
is working on two programmes:
gene therapy and chemical
treatments, and medical and
surgical imagery and robotics.
Thanks to its border location on the
Rhine axis, Alsace occupies a central
position in the European economy. It
boasts a modern infrastructure
enabling it to serve as a very busy
trading area between northern and
southern Europe.
As well as being France’s fifth-ranking
exporting region, it is one of the
country’s leaders in terms of the influx
of foreign capital. Alsace has nearly
90,000 businesses, including 600
international firms providing jobs for
50,000 employees. In 2009,
neighbouring countries (Switzerland
and Germany) employed 64,200
workers resident in Alsace (INSEE
estimates).
• The Vehicle of the Future
competitiveness hub designs and
implements global solutions for
13
v
u
w
AN INTERNATIONAL ROLE
the 75 diplomatic representations and
consulates.
As France’s second diplomatic city,
Strasbourg – like New York and Geneva
– has the privilege of hosting
numerous international institutions
without being a national capital: it is
the seat of the European Parliamentu
and houses the headquarters of the
Council of Europev and the European
Court of Human Rightsw. It also boasts
a large number of European and
international bodies, not to mention
In 1949, British Foreign Secretary
Ernest Bevin said: “This is a city
which, more than any other, has been
the victim of the stupidity of the
nations of Europe, which thought they
could solve their problems by waging
war”, adding that its calling must
now be to become a symbol of
reconciliation and peace.
STRASBOURG IS ALSO HOME TO
The European Doctoral College of the Universities of Strasbourg: set up
by Strasbourg’s three universities in 1999 to host young French and
European researchers;
The Assembly of European Regions (AER): set up in 1985, the AER acts
as regions’ political voice and is a key partner of European and international
institutions in relation to all regional issues;
Eurocorps: set up in 1992, Eurocorps brings together Belgium, France,
Germany, Luxembourg and Spain, along with eight other countries having joined
on 3 September 2003 (Austria, Finland, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland,
Turkey and the United Kingdom). It decides on requests for assistance from
multinational organisations such as the UN, the European Union and NATO;
The Information Centre on the European Institutions: (Centre d’Information
sur les Institutions Européennes), which aims to keep the general and
specialised public informed about European policy developments and
the working of the institutions.
14
The Alsace Region
Strasbourg’s European role dates back
to 5 May 1949, when 10 European
countries (Belgium, Denmark, France,
Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the
Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the
United Kingdom) signed the Statute of
the Council of Europe, an
intergovernmental body based on
human rights, in London. The
organisation has its headquarters in
Strasbourg, symbolising FrancoGerman reconciliation.
sioned by the European Directorate for
the Quality of Medicines, was
inaugurated in March 2007.
A FAVOURABLE GEOGRAPHICAL
LOCATION
At the intersection of various transport
routes, including both the most
ancient (Roman roads led to
“Strateburgum”, later to become
Strasbourg) and the most modern (the
East and Rhine-Rhône TGV lines),
Alsace is unquestionably a metropolis
in the middle of Europe. Paris, Lyons,
Geneva, Zurich, Turin, Milan, Munich,
Prague, Stuttgart, Frankfurt, Brussels
and Amsterdam all lie within a radius
of 600 km of the Alsatian capital.
The Council of Europe adopted the
European Convention on Human
Rights in 1950; in 1959 it set up a
monitoring mechanism to ensure that
signatory countries do actually respect
those rights: the European Court of
Human Rights, which has had its
headquarters in Strasbourg since
1998.
The completion of the Palais de
l’Europe in 1977 launched Strasbourg’s
European quarter, in the north-east of
the city. Opposite the Human Rights
Building, the European Parliament
building, inaugurated by Jacques
Chirac in 1999, hosts the 785 members
from the enlarged European Union of
27. A new Council of Europe
administrative building measuring
22,000 m² has also just been
completed,
and
the
new
Pharmacopoeia building, commis15
Alsace attracts more than nine million
tourists each year (11 million in 2007
according to the Tourism Department),
generating a considerable economic
spin-off for the Alsatian economy (3.6
billion euros per year and 25,000 direct
jobs, according to the INSEE). The city
of Strasbourg is also on UNESCO’s
world heritage list.
Alsace has a very international focus,
rising to strategic challenges relating
to the movement of persons and
goods. Two hours from major European
cities, it boasts two international
airports (Entzheim and BaselMulhouse), three ports on the Rhine
and numerous arterial routes at the
heart of the European motorway
network. It has been linked to the EastEurope TGV route since June 2007,
putting it two hours and twenty
minutes from Paris. In December
2011, the launch of the Rhine-Rhône
TGV line will link Alsace to the NorthSouth TGV route, putting Strasbourg
three hours from Lyons and placing
the region at the intersection of
European TGV services.
HERITAGE AND CULTURE
Thanks to its fortified castles,
vineyards, flower-filled villages, rich
urban heritage and wide range of
museums and galleries, not to
mention the majestic Rhine river,
u
Numerous heritage treasures are on
display in Alsace’s 250-odd museums
and collections, ranging from
prehistoric artefacts to contemporary
art. In particular, Colmar’s Unterlinden
museum houses the Issenheim
Altarpiece, a masterpiece of religious
ALSACE HAS A REPUTATION FOR ITS WINES
The region has seven grape varieties: Sylvaner, Pinot
Blanc, Riesling, Muscat d’Alsace, Tokay Pinot Gris,
Gewurztraminer and Pinot Noir, which have enjoyed
AOC (Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée) classification
since 1984.
On average, 1.2 million hectolitres (160 million bottles)
are produced in Alsace every year over an area of
14,800 hectares, spread across 119 municipalities.
The region’s vineyards extend a hundred kilometres
from northern to southern Alsace, on the eastern side
of the Vosges mountains.
16
The Alsace Region
GASTRONOMY AND VINEYARDS
art. In Mulhouse, lovers of beautiful
bodywork will surely find their way to
the world’s biggest automobile
museumu.
Alsace boasts Europe’s largest
concentration of feudal castles,
attesting to its eventful history.
Alsace is famous for its gastronomy,
and Alsatians’ attention to dining is
legendary. It is one of the most
Michelin-starred places in France,
with 30 restaurants receiving this
distinction in the 2008 Michelin Guide.
w
Traditional Alsatian recipes and dishes
include tarte à l'oignon, Baeckeofe,
tarte flambée, choucroute and
kouglopf. Foie gras, spring asparagus,
a wide range of spices including the
celebrated horseradish, and the
renowned bredele (Christmas biscuits)
are also worth discovering and
savouring, however.
v
Haut-Koenigsbourg Castlev, rebuilt
by Emperor Wilhelm II, is one of the
most visited monuments in France,
and undoubtedly the most well known.
The ruins of more than 400 fortified
castles can also be seen in Alsace.
Beer is another important regional
product. It has been found in Alsace
since the Middle Ages, and has left a
significant legacy in many Alsatian
villages.
War has left significant traces on the
region. The Alsace-Moselle memorial
in Schirmeck recounts the tragic
history of Alsace and Moselle from
1870 up to the time of Franco-German
reconciliation and European integration.
The Struthof camp (a former Nazi
concentration camp), the only
structure of its kind on French soil,
and the Maginot line (a vast fortified
system built along Alsace’s borders
by the French High Command between
1930 and 1940) are reminders of
tragic periods.
x
17
Alsace:
A Territorial Authority
18
Alsace: A Territorial Authority
FUNCTIONS
• Upper secondary schools and
apprenticeship training centres
The Alsace region allocates a
significant proportion of its budget
to education (40% in 2010). It is
responsible for building and
modernising Alsace’s existing 103
upper secondary schools and 31
apprenticeship training centres,
contributing to university funding,
fostering the development of
information and communication
technologies and promoting
international student mobility. The
Alsace region has also concluded a
dozen contracts of agreed
objectives with occupational
sectors, focusing on the
relationship between employment
and training and attempting to
anticipate the skills needed.
Each region is a defined geographical
area, with its own cultural and social
identity. However, the term “region”
also refers to the highest territorial
division in the French Republic, in the
form of a territorial authority.
• Vocational training
The Alsace region is taking steps to
develop training, including
continuing vocational training for
job-seekers and employees. The
issue is approached from four
different angles: the development
of collective training, support for
individual training, guidance for
the more vulnerable segments of
the population and integration into
the corporate world through
internships.
HISTORY
France’s territorial structure is divided
into four levels: the State, regions,
départements and municipalities. In
order to facilitate spatial planning at
a level between the State and the
départements, territorial authorities
had to be set up at the regional level.
Following a lengthy process, regional
authorities came into being on
2 March 1982, under the
Decentralisation Act. Since then,
Alsace – like France’s 21 other
mainland regions – has been governed
by a regional council.
• Higher education
The Alsace region is working to
make Alsatian universities more
attractive, to support the
development of job-focused
training courses, to modernise
student accommodation, to
encourage international mobility
among young people and to
promote local, cross-border and
Regional councillors have been elected
by direct universal suffrage since
1986, with a four-year mandate.
19
inter-regional co-operation. Its
efforts are directed towards three
strategic goals: bringing facilities
up to European standard, preparing
students for career success and
making campuses internationally
attractive.
and craftspeople. It encourages
them to modernise, form groups,
innovate and export. It seeks to be
a key partner of Alsatian
businesses in the context of
globalisation.
• Research and innovation
Alsace is one of France’s leading
scientific centres. In order to
maintain its competitiveness, the
region is expanding its main skill
centres, which combine training,
research and industry. It is helping
to create an environment conducive
to innovation, in particular through
the establishment of the Regional
Agency for Innovation and the
support it provides for research
development.
• Transport
As the authority responsible for
regional transport, the Alsace region
is taking active steps on a daily
basis to improve the Alsace TER
train service and ensure that it
matches travellers’ needs; it does so
through its partnership with the
SNCF railway company, which
manages and operates the service.
Transport represents the region’s
second-biggest budget, 90% of
which is allocated to the TER service
alone. The region is also involved in
major transport infrastructure
projects, particularly in the rail
sector (including the East-Europe
and Rhine-Rhone TGV lines), but
also in the road, air and port
sectors; it monitors specific aspects
of the associated investments.
• Environment
The Alsace region has placed
priority on fighting global warming
and preserving biodiversity. It
supports the construction of
energy-efficient buildings and the
use of renewable energies. It
encourages action to reduce air
and groundwater pollution,
preserve natural sites and raise
environmental awareness. In
particular, such action is being
• Economy and employment
The Alsace region provides direct
assistance to Alsatian businesses
20
Alsace: A Territorial Authority
taken in partnership with the
Northern Vosges Regional Park, the
Ballons des Vosges Regional Park
and voluntary associations.
quality labels. It is also making a
major effort to reorganise the
region’s forestry holdings.
• Culture and sport
The Alsace region encourages
expression of the cultural life
fostered by Alsace’s many voluntary
associations. It promotes its
architectural heritage and
museums, and endeavours to boost
involvement in sports, particularly
at a high level.
• Spatial planning
Through its policies, the Alsace
region encourages balanced
regional development. Accordingly,
it promotes the development of
both major and medium-sized
cities. In order to ensure that all
residents enjoy the same level of
access to facilities and services,
it provides special assistance to
fragile rural and urban areas and
the Vosges mountains.
• Tourism
The Alsace region does a great deal
to develop tourism in Alsace, such
as maximising the tourism
potential of heritage treasures,
upgrading tourist facilities and
offering grants to accommodation
providers.
• Agriculture and forestry
Forty per cent of Alsace’s land is
used for agriculture. The Alsace
regional council’s focus is on
supporting rational agriculture and
promoting products qualifying for
21
In view of the large number of
decisions to be made, the regional
council delegates some of its powers
to the Standing Committee. Chaired by
the President of the Alsace Regional
Council, this committee comprises
30 regional councillors elected by the
plenary assembly. Under delegation
from the latter, it meets once a month
to implement regional policies decided
by the plenary assembly, after
consulting the 14 specialised
committees.
• International relations
International co-operation enables
the Alsace region to promote
exchanges and development work
with both close European
neighbours (Germany, Switzerland,
Poland and Romania) and the rest
of the world (Africa, America,
Russia, Quebec, China and South
Korea).
The term “region” designates the
territorial authority as a whole, that is,
the elected deliberative assembly
(regional council), the consultative
assembly (the Economic and Social
Council of Alsace) and the regional
government administration.
The Regional Economic, Social and
Environmental Council of Alsace
(CESER) is a consultative assembly,
which has been , chaired by Bernard
Stalter since 2007. It is made up of
professionals and tradespeople
representing professional organisations, trade unions and voluntary
associations and is appointed by order
of the regional prefect for six years.
The Regional Council must consult
the CESER on the broad thrust of
regional policy, including the budget.
It carries out studies on its own
initiative or at the request of the
President of the Regional Council.
The Alsace Regional Council, chaired
by Philippe Richert, comprises 47
regional councillors, who make
decisions on the region’s behalf.
Meeting as a plenary assembly, they
approve the region’s annual budget,
which determines the main thrusts of
regional activity. They also meet
several times a year to discuss and
fine-tune the contours of the budget
and introduce new policies.
Since 1 January 2008, Alsace’s
regional government administration
has had just over 1,900 staff
members: 575 work for the regional
council headquarters and are divided
among the various technical and
operational departments and four
branch offices. Approximately 1,330
are technical, maintenance and
service staff who also work in the
upper secondary schools.
OPERATION
22
General data
Wissembourg
Departments
• Bas-Rhin
(prefecture:
Strasbourg)
• Haut-Rhin
(prefecture: Colmar)
Area
8,280 km (1.5% of France)
Population (estimation INSEE 2008)
1,847,000 habitants
Density (INSEE 2009)
223 inhabitants
per square kilometre
Highest point
Le Grand Ballon (1424 m d’altitude)
Major urban centres
3 (Strasbourg, Colmar, Mulhouse)
Municipalities
904
Regional parks
• Northern Vosges
Regional Park
• Ballons des Vosges
Regional Park
Crédits photos : Région Alsace / Cordier, Jacrot, Louis-Arthénon, Parent, Badias, Dumoulin, Naegelen, NotoCampanella, Sautier, Meyer, Hickel, Rothan-Airdiasol, Isenmann ; G. Würth ; Isidore Pils : Rouget de l’Isle
chantant La Marseillaise, 1849. Dépôt du Musée du Louvre au Musée Historique de Strasbourg, photo
N. Fussler ; Enlèvement des cloches en Alsace : DR ; NARA (=National Archives and Records Administration),
College Park, Maryland, USA - collection Lise Pommois ; CUS 2003 / G. Engel ; Sitram / Atoll ; Kléber. Musée
Historique de Strasbourg, photo M. Bertola ; Autoportrait de Tomi Ungerer. Musée Tomi Ungerer, Centre
international de l'illustration, Strasbourg, photo A. Plisson ; Digitalvision ; Phovoir ; Cité de l'automobile /
Fovéa ; CIVA / Pierre Bouard ; CUS / Mimram architecte / Frédéric Maigrot ; Parlement européen :
ARCHITECTURE-STUDIO ; Palais des droits de l'homme : architecte Richard Rogers Partnership ; Palais de
l'Europe : Architecte Henry Bernard ; Région Alsace : atelier d'Architecture Chaix et Morel et Associés
Région Alsace
1, place du Wacken • BP 91006 • 67070 STRASBOURG Cedex
Tél. +33 (0)3 88 15 68 67 • Fax +33 (0)3 88 15 68 15
e-mail : contact@region-alsace.eu
Printed on 100% recycled paper
May 2010