La Petite France, in Alsatian dialect: Französel (also known as the Quartier des Tanneurs; German: Gerberviertel; “Tanner’s Quarter”) is the south-western part of the Grande Île of Strasbourg in Alsace in eastern France, the most central and characteristic island of the city that forms the historic center. The district is bounded to the north by the Quai de la Bruche (Brischstade), the rue du Bain-aux-Plantes, the Place Benjamin-Zix and the rue des Dentelles; to the east by the Rue du Pont-Saint-Martin, the Pont Saint-Thomas (Thomas Bridge) and the Mills footbridge; to the south by the Channel of Zorn-Mühle; to the west by the Covered Bridges. read more…
The European Quarter is spread over an area covering the districts of Wacken, Orangerie and Robertsau in the north-west of Strasbourg, France, and comprising the intersection of the River Ill and the Marne-Rhine Canal and has held the European Heritage Label since 2015. The first specific European building in the area was the Council of Europe‘s Palace of Europe in 1949, with the Rhine Commission being located towards the centre of the city. The European Audiovisual Observatory and the Institute for Human Rights are the only institutions in the quarter to have moved into pre-existing premises: a 1900 villa and an 18th-century former postal relay station and inn turned conventual building, respectively. The Arte headquarters, previously disseminated on several buildings across the town, were united in a single spacious building close to the Louise Weiss building in 2003. read more…
Colmar is the third-largest commune of the Alsace region in north-eastern France. It is the seat of the prefecture of the Haut-Rhin department and the arrondissement of Colmar. Colmar is 64 kilometres (40 mi) south-southwest of Strasbourg on the Lauch River, a tributary of the Ill River. It is located directly to the east of the Vosges Mountains and connected to the Rhine in the east by a canal. read more…
Mulhouse is a city and commune in eastern France, close to the Swiss and German borders. With a population of 111,000 and 278,000 inhabitants in the metropolitan area, it is the largest city in the Haut-Rhin département, and the second largest in the Alsace region after Strasbourg. Mulhouse is the chief city of an arrondissement of the Haut-Rhin département, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Mulhouse is the principal commune of the 32 making up the Communauté d’agglomération Mulhouse Alsace Agglomération (M2A, population 252,000). read more…
Illkirch-Graffenstaden is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in north-eastern France. It is the second-largest suburb of the city of Strasbourg, and is adjacent to it on the south-southwest. Illkirch-Graffenstaden is one of the fastest growing cities in France and probably in Europe, its population having more than doubled in less than forty years (from 11,648 in 1968 to 26,368 in 2006). read more…
Sélestat is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in north-eastern France with a population of 19.400. Sélestat is located in central Alsace, 22 km (14 mi) north of Colmar and 47 km (29 mi) south of Strasbourg, on the left bank of the Ill River. Sélestat is near the Alsace wine route. read more…
Alsace is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area, and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France. On 1 January 2016, the region will join Lorraine and Champagne-Ardenne to create a new region, tentatively known as Alsace-Champagne-Ardenne-Lorraine (a name will be adopted before 1 July 2016). Alsace is located on France’s eastern border and on the west bank of the upper Rhine adjacent to Germany and Switzerland. The political status of Alsace has been heavily influenced by historical decisions, wars, and strategic politics. The political, economic and cultural capital as well as largest city of Alsace is Strasbourg. The city is the seat of several international organizations and bodies. read more…
