Bas-Rhin (French pronunciation:[bɑʁɛ̃]ⓘ)[3] is adépartement in Alsace which is a part of theGrand Est super-region ofFrance. The name means 'LowerRhine', referring to its lower altitude among the two French Rhine departments: it is downstream of theHaut-Rhin (Upper Rhine) department. Both belong to the EuropeanUpper Rhine region. It is, with the Haut-Rhin (Upper Rhine), one of the two departments of the traditionalAlsace region which until 1871, also included the area now known as theTerritoire de Belfort. The more populous and densely populated of the pair, it had 1,152,662 inhabitants in 2021.[4] Theprefecture is based inStrasbourg. TheINSEE and Post Code is 67.
TheRhine has always been of great historical and economic importance to the area, and it forms the eastern border of Bas-Rhin. The area is also home to some of the foothills of theVosges Mountains.
The Bas-Rhin has a continental-type climate, characterised by cold, dry winters and hot, stormy summers, due to the western protection provided by theVosges. The average annual temperature is 10.4 °C (51 °F) in the lowlands (Entzheim) and 7 °C (45 °F) on high ground. The annual maximum temperature is high (30 °C (86 °F)). The average rainfall is 700 mm (27.56 in) per year.
Established according to data from the Infoclimat station at Strasbourg-Entzheim (the airport), over the period from 1961 to 1990.
Lowest temperature
-23.2 °C
Coldest day
2 January 1971
Highest temperature
37.4 °C
Hottest day
2 July 1952
Highest 24-hour rainfall
62.9 mm
Wettest day
23 May 1978
Wettest year
1987 (811.1mm)
Dryest year
1949 (392.6mm)
Comparison of local Meteorological data with other cities in France[6]
Bas-Rhin is the last French department to have kept the termBas meaning "Lower" in its name. Other departments using this prefix preferred to change their names - e.g.:Basses-Pyrénées in 1969 becamePyrénées-Atlantiques andBasses-Alpes in 1970 became the department ofAlpes-de-Haute-Provence. The same phenomenon was observed for theinférieur (also meaning "lower") departments such asCharente-Inférieure,Seine-Inférieure, andLoire-Inférieure.
In 1808 some territories east of the Rhine were annexed, especially the city ofKehl;
In 1814, after the firstTreaty of Paris, France gained the territories north of theLauter from the former department ofMont-Tonnerre and including the city ofLandau,[10] but lost all the territories east of theRhine;[11]
In 1815, following the secondTreaty of Paris, France lost all the territories north of the Lauter[12] and the department was occupied by troops from Baden and Saxony from June 1815 to November 1818.
In 1919 Bas-Rhin became French again (Treaty of Versailles) and retained the territories that Germany had taken from the department ofVosges in 1871 (the Canton of Schirmeck and Canton of Saales);
In 1944Kehl was attached to Bas-Rhin before being reassigned to the newWest Germany in 1953;
In 1982 the department is included in the newly createdAlsace region;
On 7 April 2013 a referendum was held on the creation of a single community in Alsace for joining the Alsace region and the two departments ofHaut-Rhin and Bas-Rhin.
The coat of arms of Bas-Rhin is closely linked to the history ofBasse-Alsace. It appeared for the first time in 1262 on a seal of the Counts of Werd who originated from Woerth nearErstein and who becamelandgrafs of Lower Alsace in 1156.
Blazon: Gules, a bend argent cotised fleury the same.
The demography of Bas-Rhin is characterized by high density and high population growth since the 1950s.
In January 2014 Bas-Rhin officially had 1,112,815 inhabitants and was18th by population at the national level. In fifteen years, from 1999 to 2014, its population grew by more than 86,000 people, or about 5,800 people per year. But this variation is differentiated among the 517 communes that make up the department.
The population density of Bas-Rhin is 234 inhabitants per square kilometre in 2014 which is more than twice the average in France, which was 112 in 2009.
The first census was conducted in 1801 and this count, renewed every five years from 1821, provides precise information on the evolution of population in the department.
With 540,213 inhabitants in 1831, the department represented 1.66% of the total French population, which was then 32,569,000 inhabitants. From 1831 to 1866, the department gained 48,757 people, an increase of 0.26% on average per year compared to the national average of 0.48% over the same period.
Demographic change between theFranco-Prussian War of 1870 and theFirst World War was higher than the national average. Over this period, the population increased by 100,532 inhabitants, an increase of 16.74%, compared to 10% nationally. The population increased by 9.23% between the two world wars from 1921 to 1936 compared to a national growth of 6.9%.
Like other French departments, Bas-Rhin experienced a population boom after theSecond World War, higher than the national level. The rate of population growth between 1946 and 2007 was 83.83%, compared to 57% nationally.
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. Updates on reimplementing the Graph extension, which will be known as the Chart extension, can be found onPhabricator and onMediaWiki.org.
The Bas-Rhin department has a high density ofSMEs and SMIs and a higher proportion of workers in industry than the national average. Tourism activity is intense and creates many indirect jobs. The rate of unemployment is among the lowest in France: 6.5%. The average GDP per capita is €18,795 which places the region as the second largest in France with 2.9% of national GDP. Employment is distributed in the following way, as a percentage of the labor force:Agriculture: 8,411 or 2%Crafts and industry: 97,349 or 24.2%Building and Public Works: 23,928 or 6.0%Tertiary Sector: 271,984 or 67.8%Frontaliers:[15] 28,186
Alsace and the adjacentMoselle department have alegal system slightly different from the rest of France. The statutes in question date from the period 1871–1919 when the area was part of theGerman Empire. With thereturn of Alsace-Lorraine to France in 1919, Paris accepted that Alsace and Moselle should retain some local laws in respect of certain matters, especially with regard to hunting, economic life, local government relationships, health insurance and social rights. It includes notably the absence of anyformal separation between church and state: several mainstream denominations of the Christian church benefit from state funding, in contrast to principles applied in the rest of France.
The seat of the General Council is located inStrasbourg, in a building designed by the architectClaude Vasconi. The current prefect of the Bas-Rhin is Stéphane Fratacci. The representative of the Lower Rhine for theNational Youth Council is Mr. Gautier Lutz.
Bas-Rhin is composed of fivearrondissements (Haguenau-Wissembourg, Molsheim, Saverne, Sélestat-Erstein, and Strasbourg)[19] and 23cantons.[20]
Through its secondary and higher education institutions, Alsace is a very important region for students and is very internationally oriented. Strasbourg alone welcomes 75% of students in its university. Since the merger of three faculties and the IUT of Illkirch and of Schiltigheim it has become one of the largest universities in France. There are also renowned institutions such as theNational School of Administration (ENA), theNational Institute of Territorial Studies (INET), the Higher European Institute of Management, and the National School of Physics of Strasbourg.
TheChâteau du Haut-Kœnigsbourg: built in the 12th century, the castle of Haut-Koenigsbourg dominates the plain of Alsace more than 700 metres (2,297 feet)above sea level. Destroyed during theThirty Years' War, it was restored from 1900 to 1908 by the German EmperorWilhelm II. It houses a large collection of weapons and period furniture.
TheChâteau du Fleckenstein: early 12th century, built by the imperial family ofHohenstaufen, the castle was occupied and turned into an impregnable fortress by the Fleckenstein family. Many activities are offered such as the "Castle of challenges". There is a large selection of 20 games crossing the forest and in the secret rooms of the castle to discover life in the Middle Ages.
TheChâteau de Lichtenberg: built in the early 13th century on a hill overlooking the village, the site includes contemporary space-related cultural activities.
With more than 27 million tourists per year, Bas-Rhin is the 5th largest French department for the number of room-nights for visitors per year.
Strasbourg Cathedral: Strasbourg Cathedral is a masterpiece ofGothic art. Measuring 142 metres high from theParvise to the top of the tower, it is considered the second largest cathedral in France after that ofRouen. Itsastronomical clock dates from theRenaissance and the mechanism dated 1492 is a masterpiece in itself.
TheMont Sainte-Odile: a living spiritual place. Rising to 764 metres, this mountain inVosges is topped by a monastery founded bySaint-Odile, the patron saint of Alsace. It is a tourist attraction and also a place of pilgrimage.
TheAlsatian Museum: A museum of art and popular traditions. There is a large collection of utilitarian objects, decorative objects, as well as costumes that depict everyday life in Alsace in the 18th and 19th centuries.
TheStrasbourg Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art: Located in the heart of the city of Strasbourg, the Museum of Modern and Contemporary houses nearly 18,000 works divided into three departments: fine arts, graphic art, and photography. Some of the greatest innovators of the 20th century are on display.
TheTomi Ungerer Museum: there is a large collection of drawings, archives, magazines, and toys donated to his hometown by the French illustrator Tomi Ungerer. It also hosts temporary exhibitions.
ThePalais Rohan: The Rohan Palace was built between 1731 and 1742 at the request of Armand de Rohan-Soubise, Cardinal andBishop of Strasbourg, who made his residence in the historic heart of the city. It also hosts the Arts and Crafts Museum, Archaeological Museum, and the Museum of Fine Arts.
Thestork is the emblematic bird of Alsace. According to legend, it brings newborn babies wrapped in a cloth tightly in its beak. Having disappeared from the local habitat; it has now returned, being protected and has become an integral part of the landscape. They can be seen mostly on the roofs of public buildings and more on houses.[23]
The traditional Alsatian costume is a symbol of the region. Although it is usually composed of a black hat and a red skirt, the symbol of Alsace, there are many other outfits that vary between villages but also according to the social status of the person. Today virtually disappeared, they can still be seen in some villages at various events and through folk groups.
Many traditions[24] have their origins in a quest for the meaning of life or in the rites of protection e.g. Christian festivals, even today create the rhythm of life in the villages of the region. The four seasons each have their share of celebrations: crop harvest, grape harvest, employers' feast days, crafts, yard sales, local produce.
^Decree of 14 March 1793, which reunited 32 communes on the edge of the Rhine with France: "TheNational Convention, after hearing the report of the diplomatic committee, declares in the name of the people of France that it accepts the vote freely made by the sovereign people of the following towns and communes: Berglabren, Glengenmenster, Billirchein, Oberhofen , Barbelrod, Winten, Dierbach, Pleisweiler , Klingen, Oberhausen, Kleishorbach, Fiderhorbach, Kleiszellen, Kaplen, Herchiersveiler, Horbach, Erlebach, Mertzheim, Steinweiler , Volsfisbeim, Appenhoffen, Heichelheim, Mulheffen, Volmersheim, Nidershorst, Oberhorst, Effingen, Aldorff, Germersheim , Freisbach , Ilvesheim, their enclaves and dependencies; in their primary assemblies, for their reunification with France, and, accordingly, the said towns and communes are an integral part of the French Republic. - Commissioners of the National Convention in the departments of Meurthe, Moselle, and Bas-Rhin are responsible for taking all necessary measures for the execution of the laws of the Republic in those towns and communes as well as sending delegates to the National Convention to enable the setting up of a permanently organization. - These towns and communes form the fifth district of Bas-Rhin. The capital [of the district] will beLandau."
^Decree of 30Pluviôse III (18 February 1795), which reunites several communes in the District of Schelestadt with the district of Senones
^ThePeace Treaty, signed in Paris on 30 May 1814, Article 3: "5° The Fortress of Landau, having been built before the year 1792, is an isolated point in Germany, France is to retain beyond its borders part of the Departments ofMont-Tonnerre and Bas-Rhin to link the fortress of Landau and its radius to the rest of the Kingdom. The new boundaries are, starting from a point nearObersteinbach (which remains outside the limits of France), the boundary between the department ofMoselle and Mont-Tonnerre until the department of Bas-Rhin then following the line that separates the Cantons of Weissenbourg and Bergzabern (on the French side), the cantons ofPirmasens,Dahn, andAnnweiler (on the German side), to the point where this line, near the village of Wolmersheim, touches the edge of the radius of the fortress ofLandau. From this area, which remains as it was in 1792, the new frontier will follow the arm of theQueich river which, on leaving the radius nearQueichheim (which remains in France), passes near the villages of Mertenheim,Knittelsheim, and Belheim (also remaining French) to theRhine, which then continues to form the boundary of France and Germany."
^TheTreaty of Peace signed in Paris on 30 May 1814, Article 3: "5° [...] On the Rhine, theThalweg will be the border so that any changes that may occur later in the course of the River will have no effect on the ownership of the islands therein. The state of possession of these islands will be established as it existed at the time of the signing of theTreaty of Luneville."
^ThePeace Treaty signed at Paris on 20 November 1815 Article I: "The borders of France will be as they were in 1790 except for changes and other matters which are summarized in this present article.
1. [...] Of the border of the country ofSaarbrücken: the line of demarcation will be the same that now separates Germany from the departments of Moselle and Bas-Rhin to theLauter [river], which will then serve as the border until its intersection with the Rhine. All the territory on the left bank of the Lauter, including Landau, will be part of Germany, but the city of Wissenbourg, traversed by the river, will remain wholly in France, with a radius on the left bank not exceeding one thousandToises [two thousand metres], and will be specifically determined by the commissioners who are responsible for the final boundary.
2. From the mouth of the Lauter, along the departments of Bas-Rhin, Haut-Rhin, Doubs and Jura to the canton of Vaud [Switzerland], the boundaries remain as they were set by theTreaty of Paris. TheThalweg of the Rhine forms the boundary between France and the German states but the ownership of the islands, as will be fixed after a new survey of the course of the river, will remain unchanged with some changes to be submitted in the course of time. Commissioners will be appointed from both sides by theHigh Contracting Parties within a period of three months to proceed with such survey. Half the bridges between Strasbourg and Kehl belong to France, and the other half to theGrand Duchy of Baden [...]."
.svg)
