De Elzas, een prachtige streek !

Vooraf hadden we natuurlijk al veel gelezen en veel positiefs gehoord over de Elzas, de Vogezen, het Zwarte Woud en heel het gebied (met micro-klimaat) ertussen en het moet gezegd, na slechts enkele verkenningen kunnen we steevast ja-knikken op de vraag of het hier wel zo mooi is. Het intens zachte herfstweer en het enig mooie kleurenpallet dat de natuur dezer dagen tentoonspreidt maken dat gevoel, die belevenis nog sterker waardoor we ervan overtuigd zijn dat we nog heel vaak onderweg zullen zijn "on the Alsace roads".

 

Strasbourg : the city at the crossroads of Europe

The name of Strasbourg – meaning “town at the crossing of roads” – is of Germanic origin: “stras,” from Strasse (street), and “burg,” from town or citadel. It is an enchanting historic place in the Alsace region of France and a city of contrasts: the language is French, but the architecture, food and wine are mostly German as, over the centuries, Alsace changed back and forth between French and German hands.

It is the home town of Johann Gutenberg, inventor of the printing press and birthplace of the French national anthem (“la Marseillaise”). Nowadays, it accommodates the European Parliament, which is the legislative institution of the European Union. It represents the 495 million inhabitants of the EU and it is the only institution to be directly elected by European citizens. 

The Council of Europe is the oldest intergovernmental organization in Europe and brings together the largest number of European countries : 47 member states !

Le cascade et le chateau du Nideck (Oberhaslach)

C'est le poète allemand Chêne von Chamisso qui immortalisa les lieux avec son récit légendaire des " Géants du Nideck ". Quel beau cadre en vérité pour un récit romantique ! Tout y est : de sombres forêts, des rocs titanesques, une superbe cascade, et l'on devine aisément la présence de quelque belle ondine...

C’est dans un ouvrage des frères Grimm que l’on trouve une des légendes du Nideck. Un château était habité par un couple de géants et leur fille qui, un jour, découvrit la plaine d’Alsace où elle rencontra pour la première fois des humains. En rentrant, son père lui apprit ce qu’étaient les hommes et leur fonction : travailler la terre pour nourrir les géants.

Colmar, "Capital of Alsatian Wine" (capitale des vins d'Alsace)

Colmar is the home town of the painter and engraver Martin Schongauer and the sculptor Frédéric Bartholdi, who designed the Statue of Liberty. The city is renowned for its well preserved old town, its numerous architectural landmarks and its museums, among which is the Unterlinden Museum.

It was founded in the 9th century. This was the location where Charles the Fat held a diet in 884. Colmar was granted the status of a free imperial city of theHoly Roman Empire in 1226. In 1575, the city adopted the Protestant Reformation, long after the northern neighbours of Strasbourg and Sélestat. During the Thirty Years' War, the city was taken by the armies of Sweden in 1632, who held it for two years. The city was conquered by France under Louis XIV in 1673.

In 1679 (Treaties of Nijmegen) Colmar was ceded to France. With the rest of Alsace, Colmar was annexed by the newly formed German Empire in 1871 as a result of the Franco-Prussian War. It returned to France after World War I, was annexed by Nazi Germany in 1940, and then reverted to French control after the battle of the "Colmar Pocket" in 1945. Colmar has been continuously governed by conservative parties since 1947, the Popular Republican Movement (1947–1977), theUnion for French Democracy (1977–1995) and the Union for a Popular Movement (since 1995), and has had only three mayors during that time.

The Colmar Treasure, hidden during the Black Death, was discovered here in 1863.

Fort de Mutzig, part of the fortified belt of Strasbourg

The "cohesion day @ work" brought us to a fortress, located on a hill near the town of Mutzig. The German construction (Feste Kaiser Wilhelm II) dominates the area and allowed to block access to the plain of Alsace to the French troops in case of attack. This "new" generation fort is built with concrete, armoured and equiped with power stations ; it is THE prototype of the modern XXth century splited fortification. About 7000 men were needed to run this huge defensive ensemble of 628 acres. It was a very interesting tour by an even more enthusiastic tour-guide.

Tripping in the Vosges ...