DW Travel (May 5, 2024): On Instagram, Strasbourg’s old town with its timber-framed houses and impressive cathedral looks simply magical. But is the city in the east of France really that fantastic? We went there to find out – come with us to Strasbourg!
Tag Archives: Alsace
France Views: Homes In Alsace Being Preserved
FRANCE 24 English Films (November 27, 2023) – The French region of Alsace is famous for its traditional half-timbered houses. But this centuries-old heritage is threatened by the passage of time and urban development.
Every year, 400 of these remarkable old houses are demolished. But a few locals are trying to safeguard their heritage. One young couple have embarked on a project to renovate their old house, using ancestral techniques.
Meanwhile, a company near Strasbourg specialises in dismantling the half-timbering of abandoned houses, renovating them and reusing them on new structures. We take a closer look.
Read more about this story in our article: https://f24.my/9xf8.y
Culture/History: The Many Lives Of Abbeys In France
FRANCE 24 (March 21, 2023) – Once important seats of Christian worship, and now treasures of the country’s heritage, French abbeys often have surprising histories. That’s the case of Fontevraud abbey, in the former duchy of Anjou. Run by a woman during its heyday, the abbey was turned into a prison after the French Revolution.
In Alsace, the abbey of Mont Sainte-Odile is famous for its supposedly miraculous spring water. Finally, on the outskirts of Montpellier, Valmagne abbey used to be a wine cellar. Visitors can still observe the gigantic barrels that were once used to store thousands of litres of wine.
France Views: Strasbourg Christmas Market 2022
Tourist Channel (December 2022) – Each year, nearly two million visitors flock to Strasbourg, the Alsatian capital to discover its wonders. The Strasbourg Christmas Market extends over more than ten sites, all located within the Big Island. During the four weeks of the Strasbourg Christmas market, as soon as night falls, the city is adorned with sublime illuminations that give it a magical dimension.
The big fir tree, place Kléber, is the most beautiful expression of this. Thirty meters high, wonderfully decorated, it impresses with its presence, its majesty. Symbol of an Alsatian tradition dating back five centuries, it is the ambassador of a city bathed in light.
The Christkindelsmärik, or “market of the child Jesus”, is the name given in the Alsatian language to the traditional Christmas market which has been held since 1570 in Strasbourg, Alsace, and was for a long time the only one in France. It begins on the first Saturday of Advent and ends on the evening of December 24. The Christkindelsmärik attracts two million visitors from all over the world every year.
Village Walks: Riquewihr In The Alsace, France (4K)
Tourist Channel (November 2022) – Riquewihr is a town located on the Alsace wine route, in eastern France. Its cobbled streets are dotted with half-timbered winemaker’s shops and tasting rooms. Winegrower’s tools and a restored kitchen are on display in the Maison de Vigneron, dating from the 16th century. The Dolder Tower from 1291 houses the Dolder Museum and centuries-old weapons.
The Tower of Thieves is a former prison from the 14th century where instruments of torture are kept. Between the Crêtes des Vosges and the plain of Alsace, Riquewihr is a medieval city, located in the heart of the Alsatian vineyard, classified among the “Most Beautiful Villages of France”.
Walking Tours: Colmar In Alsace Region, France (4K)
Colmar is a town in the Grand Est region of northeastern France, near the border with Germany. Its old town has cobblestone streets lined with half-timbered medieval and early Renaissance buildings. The Gothic 13th-century, Eglise Saint-Martin church stands on central Place de la Cathédrale. The city is on the Alsace Wine Route, and local vineyards specialize in Riesling and Gewürztraminer wines.
Walking Tour: Sélestat – Northeast France (4K)
Sélestat is a commune in the Bas-Rhin region of Alsace in north-eastern France. Sub-prefecture and seat of the community of communes of Sélestat, it had 19,360 inhabitants at the last census in 2018, which made it the fifth commune of Bas-Rhin and the eighth Alsatian commune in number of inhabitants. Its inhabitants are called Sélestadiens and Sélestadiennes. Located in the plain of Alsace, at the foot of the Vosges, the town is crossed by the Ill and its territory is largely covered by the wetlands of the Grand Ried.
Walks: Obernai – Alsace Region Of France (4K)
Obernai commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France. It lies on the eastern slopes of the Vosges mountains. Obernai is a rapidly growing city, its number of inhabitants having gone up from 6,304 in 1968 to 11,279 in 2017.
The Obernai region, which was the property of the dukes of Alsace in the 7th century, is the birthplace of St. Odile, daughter of the Duke, who would become the Patron Saint of Alsace. The Obernai name first appears in 1240, when the village acquires the status of town under the tutelage of the Hohenstaufen family. The town then prospered. It became a member of the Décapole in 1354, an alliance of ten towns of the Holy Roman Empire in Alsace. Obernai’s status reaches its apex in the 15th and 16th century. In 1562, Emperor Ferdinand I visited the prosperous town of Obernai.
France Views: The 15 Most Beautiful Places To Visit
A shaft of pure sunlight illuminating the pastel façade of a village house, the improbably clear emerald shallows of a deserted Corsican beach or the unspoilt powdery snow of majestic Alpine peaks – these are just a few of the most beautiful places in France. It’s time to start planning a road trip to see them all.
- Plateau de Valensole, Provence
- Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, Cote D’Azur
- Menton, Cote D’Azur
- Megève, The Alps
- Arles, Provence
- Île d’Or, Porquerolles, Var
- Bordeaux, Gironde
- Cap Corse, Corsica
- Parc Naturel Regional des Volcans
- Ramatuelle, Var
- Cassis, Provence
- Chateau de Chenonceau, Loire Valley
- Saint-Jean-De-Luz, Basque Country
- Mont Saint-Michel, Normandy
- Grands Crus Wine Trail, Alsace