Grand Est (; gsw-FR, Grossa Oschta; Moselle Franconian/ lb, Grouss Osten; Rhine Franconian: ''Groß Oschte''; german: Großer Osten ; en, "Great East") is an

administrative region Administrative division, administrative unit,Article 3(1). country subdivision, administrative region, subnational entity, constituent state, as well as many similar terms, are generic names for geographical areas into which a particular, ind ...

in Northeastern France. It superseded three former administrative regions, Alsace, Champagne-Ardenne and Lorraine, on 1 January 2016 under the provisional name of Alsace-Champagne-Ardenne-Lorraine (; ACAL or, less commonly, ALCA), as a result of territorial reform which had been passed by the French Parliament in 2014. The region sits astride three water basins (

Seine ) , mouth_location = Le Havre/Honfleur , mouth_coordinates = , mouth_elevation = , progression = , river_system = Seine basin , basin_size = , tributaries_left = Yonne, Loing, Eure, Risle , tributarie ...

, Meuse and Rhine), spanning an area of , the fifth largest in France; it includes two mountain ranges ( Vosges and

Ardennes The Ardennes (french: Ardenne ; nl, Ardennen ; german: Ardennen; wa, Årdene ; lb, Ardennen ), also known as the Ardennes Forest or Forest of Ardennes, is a region of extensive forests, rough terrain, rolling hills and ridges primarily in Be ...

). It shares borders with

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

, Luxembourg,

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

and

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

. As of 2017, it had a population of 5,549,586 inhabitants. The

prefecture A prefecture (from the Latin ''Praefectura'') is an administrative jurisdiction traditionally governed by an appointed prefect. This can be a regional or local government subdivision in various countries, or a subdivision in certain international ...

and largest city, by far, is

Strasbourg Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label=Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label=Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the Eu ...

. The East of France has a rich and diverse culture, being situated at a crossroads between the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power ...

and Germanic worlds. This history is reflected in the variety of languages spoken there ( Alsatian,

Champenois Champenois (''lou champaignat'') is a Romance language of the ''langues d'oïl'' language family spoken by a minority of people in Champagne and Île-de-France provinces in France, as well as in a handful of towns in southern Belgium (chiefly th ...

, and

Lorraine Franconian Lorraine Franconian (Lorraine Franconian: ''Plàtt'' or ''lottrìnger Plàtt''; french: francique lorrain or ''platt lorrain''; german: Lothringisch) is an ambiguous designation for dialects of West Central German (german: Westmitteldeutsch), ...

). Most of today's Grand Est region was considered "Eastern" as early as the 8th century, when it constituted the southern part of the Francian territory of

Austrasia Austrasia was a territory which formed the north-eastern section of the Merovingian Kingdom of the Franks during the 6th to 8th centuries. It was centred on the Meuse, Middle Rhine and the Moselle rivers, and was the original territory of the F ...

. The city of

Reims Reims ( , , ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French department of Marne, and the 12th most populous city in France. The city lies northeast of Paris on the Vesle river, a tributary of the Aisne. Founded by ...

(in Champagne), where Frankish king

Clovis I Clovis ( la, Chlodovechus; reconstructed Frankish: ; – 27 November 511) was the first king of the Franks to unite all of the Frankish tribes under one ruler, changing the form of leadership from a group of petty kings to rule by a single kin ...

had been baptized in 496 AD, would later play a prominent ceremonial role in French monarchical history as the traditional site of the coronation of the kings of France. The

Champagne fairs The Champagne fairs were an annual cycle of trade fairs which flourished in different towns of the County of Champagne in Northeastern France in the 12th and 13th centuries, originating in local agricultural and stock fairs. Each fair lasted about ...

played a significant role in the economy of medieval Europe as well. Alsace and Lorraine thrived in the sphere of influence of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars. From the accession of Otto I in 962 ...

for most of the Middle Ages and Renaissance, and subject to competing claims by France and Germany over the centuries. The region has distinctive traditions such as the celebration of Saint Nicholas Day, Christmas markets, or traditions involving the Easter hare in Alsace and Lorraine. Alsace-Moselle are furthermore subject to local law for historical reasons. With a long industrial history and strong agriculture and tourism (arts, gastronomy, sightseeing), the East of France is one of the top economic producing regions in the country.

Toponymy

Provisional name

The provisional name of the region was Alsace-Champagne-Ardenne-Lorraine, formed by combining the names of the three former regions— Alsace, Champagne-Ardenne and Lorraine—in alphabetical order with hyphens. The formula for the provisional name of the region was established by the territorial reform law and applied to all but one of the provisional names for new regions. The ACAL regional council, which was elected in December 2015, was given the task of choosing a name for the region and submitting it to the

Conseil d'État In France, the (; Council of State) is a governmental body that acts both as legal adviser to the executive branch and as the supreme court for administrative justice, which is one of the two branches of the French judiciary system. Establi ...

—France's highest authority for administrative law—by 1 July 2016 for approval. The provisional name of the region was retired on 30 September 2016, when the new name of the region, ''Grand Est'', took effect. In Alsace and in Lorraine, the new region has frequently been called ALCA, for Alsace-Lorraine-Champagne-Ardennes, on the internet. Like the name '' Région Hauts-de-France'' (and, until 2015, the name ''

Région Centre Centre-Val de Loire (, , ,In isolation, ''Centre'' is pronounced . ) or Centre Region (french: région Centre, link=no, ), as it was known until 2015, is one of the eighteen administrative regions of France. It straddles the middle Loire Valley ...

''), the name ''Région Grand Est'' contains no reference whatsoever to the area's history or identity, but merely describes its geographical location within metropolitan France.

Permanent name

In a poll conducted in November 2014 by France 3 in Champagne-Ardenne, ''Grand Est'' (29.16%) and ''Austrasie'' (22.65%) were the top two names among 25 candidates and 4,701 votes. Grand Est also topped a poll the following month conducted by L'Est Républicain, receiving 42% of 3,324 votes. The names which received a moderate amount of discussion were: * , a term used to refer to the northeast quarter of Metropolitan France, although this term refers to a geographic region larger than just ACAL. The term has been commonly used and topped the polls mentioned above. * ''Grand Est Europe'' (Great East Europe), a variant of Grand Est that alludes to the region being a gateway to Europe both through trade and since Strasbourg is home to several European institutions (which makes it one of the three unofficial capitals of the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been ...

). However, the name was mocked for how it could suggest that the region is in Eastern Europe. * ''Austrasie'' (

), which refers to an historical region spanning parts of present-day northeast France, the Benelux, and northwest Germany. * ''Quatre frontières'' (Four Frontiers), which refers to the region's border with four countries.

Geography

Grand Est covers of land and is the sixth-largest of the regions of France. Grand Est borders four countries—

( Wallonia region) and Luxembourg (Cantons of Esch-sur-Alzette and Remich) on the north,

on the east and northeast, Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland and

Cantons of Basel-Landschaft,

Basel-Stadt Basel-Stadt or Basel-City (german: Kanton ; rm, Chantun Basilea-Citad; french: Canton de Bâle-Ville; it, Canton Basilea Città) is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of three municipalities with Basel as t ...

, Jura and Solothurn on the southeast. It is the only French region to border more than two countries, or more countries than French regions. Its neighbors within France are Bourgogne-Franche-Comté on the south, Île-de-France on the west, and

Hauts-de-France Hauts-de-France (; pcd, Heuts-d'Franche; , also ''Upper France'') is the northernmost Regions of France, region of France, created by the territorial reform of French regions in 2014, from a merger of Nord-Pas-de-Calais and Picardy. Its Prefectu ...

on the northwest. Alsace-Champagne-Ardenne-Lorraine et provinces

Departments

Grand Est contains ten

departments Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

, Aube, Bas-Rhin, Marne, Haute-Marne, Haut-Rhin, Meurthe-et-Moselle, Meuse,

Moselle The Moselle ( , ; german: Mosel ; lb, Musel ) is a river that rises in the Vosges mountains and flows through north-eastern France and Luxembourg to western Germany. It is a bank (geography), left bank tributary of the Rhine, which it jo ...

, Vosges.

Topography

The main ranges in the region include the Vosges to the east and the

to the north.

Hydrology

The region is bordered on the east by the Rhine, which forms about half of the border with Germany. Other major rivers which flow through the region include the Meuse,

, Marne, and Saône. Lakes in the region include lac de Gérardmer,

lac de Longemer Lac de Longemer is a lake near Xonrupt-Longemer, in Vosges, France. At an elevation of 736 m, its surface area is . Longemer Longemer LLongemer {{Vosges-geo-stub ...

, lac de Retournemer,

lac des Corbeaux Lac des Corbeaux is a lake in Vosges, France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pac ...

Lac de Bouzey Lac de Bouzey is an artificial lake in Vosges, France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlan ...

lac de Madine Lac de Madine is a lake at the border between Meurthe-et-Moselle and Meuse departments, France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions an ...

, étang du Stock and

lac de Pierre-Percée Lac de Pierre-Percée is a lake in Pierre-Percée, Meurthe-et-Moselle, France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and t ...

Climate

Grand Est climate depends on the proximity of the sea. In Champagne and Western Lorraine, the climate is oceanic ( Köppen : Cfb), with cool to mild winters and warm summers. But

and Alsace climates are borderline humid continental ( Köppen : Dfb) - oceanic ( Köppen : Cfb), characterized by cold winters with frequent days below the freezing point, and hot summers, with many days with temperatures up to 32 °C.

History

Formation

Grand Est is the result of territorial reform legislation passed in 2014 by the French Parliament to reduce the number of regions in Metropolitan France—the part of France in continental Europe—from 22 to 13. Grand Est is the merger of three regions: Alsace, Champagne-Ardenne, and Lorraine.

Opposition

The merger has been, and still is, strongly opposed by some groups in Alsace, and a large majority of Alsatians. The territorial reform law allows new regions to choose the seat of the regional councils, but specifically made Strasbourg the seat of the Grand Est regional council—a move to appease the region's politicians. The creation of the new region was unpopular among Alsatians. In response, the Government created the European Collectivity of Alsace merging the departments of

Bas Rhin Bas-Rhin (; Alsatian: ''Unterelsàss'', ' or '; traditional german: links=no, Niederrhein; en, Lower Rhine) is a department in Alsace which is a part of the Grand Est super-region of France. The name means 'Lower Rhine', referring to its lowe ...

and Haut Rhin, to take effect in 2021.

Demographics

The region has an official population of 5,549,586 (municipal population on 1 January 2017).

Government

Regional council

The regional council has limited administrative authority, mostly concerning the promotion of the region's economy and financing educational and cultural activities. The regional council has no legislative authority. The seat of the regional council will be

. The regional council, elected in December 2015, is controlled by The Republicans. The elected inaugural president of the Grand Est Regional Council is Philippe Richert, who was previously the President of the Alsace Regional Council. The current president is Jean Rottner.

Economy

The

gross domestic product Gross domestic product (GDP) is a money, monetary Measurement in economics, measure of the market value of all the final goods and services produced and sold (not resold) in a specific time period by countries. Due to its complex and subjec ...

(GDP) of the region was 159.9 billion euros in 2018, accounting for 6.7% of French economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was 25,400 euros or 84% of the EU27 average in the same year. The GDP per employee was 101% of the EU average.

Transport and infrastructure

Rail transport

The region has five tram networks: * Strasbourg tramway * Reims tramway *

Nancy Guided Light Transit The Nancy Guided Light Transit or TVR is a guided bus system in Nancy, France. The system uses Bombardier's TVR (french: Transport sur Voie Réservée) technology. The TVR replaced the trolleybus system in Nancy. The system will be closed in F ...

* Mulhouse tramway * Saarbahn ( Tram-train)

Airports

The region has four airports: * EuroAirport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg * Châlons Vatry Airport * Metz Nancy Lorraine Airport * Strasbourg Airport

Motorways

The region has eighteen motorways: * A4 Paris to Strasbourg * A5 Paris to Langres * A26 Calais to Troyes * A30 Uckange to Longwy in N52 * A31 Beaune to Luxembourg in A3 motorway (Luxembourg) * A33 Nancy to Phalsbourg in N4 * A34 Reims to Sedan * A35 Strasbourg to Basel * A36 Beaune to Mulhouse * A304 project in city of Charleville-Mézières * A313 in city of Pont-à-Mousson * A314 and A315 in city of Metz * A320 in city of Forbach * A330 in city of Nancy * A340 Brumath to Haguenau in D1340 * A344 in city of Reims * A351 in city of Strasbourg * A352 Molsheim to Schirmeck in D1420 The region has twelve cities that have ring roads: * Strasbourg * Reims * Metz * Nancy * Mulhouse * Troyes * Châlons-en-Champagne * Épinal * Colmar * Thionville * Longwy

Heritage

Grand Est is rich with architectural monuments from the Roman Empire to the early 21st century.

Gothic architecture Gothic architecture (or pointed architecture) is an architectural style that was prevalent in Europe from the late 12th to the 16th century, during the High and Late Middle Ages, surviving into the 17th and 18th centuries in some areas. I ...

is particularly conspicuous, with many famous

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the ''cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominatio ...

s, basilicas and churches, such as Reims Cathedral, Strasbourg Cathedral, Metz Cathedral, Troyes Cathedral,

Châlons Cathedral Châlons Cathedral (french: Cathédrale Saint-Étienne de Châlons) is a Roman Catholic church in Châlons-en-Champagne, France, formerly known as Châlons-sur-Marne. The cathedral is the seat of the Bishop of Châlons and was consecrated in 1147 ...

, Toul Cathedral, the Basilica of L'Épine, the Basilica of Saint-Nicolas-de-Port, the , the Basilica of St. Urbain in Troyes, Thann Church, Niederhaslach Church, Notre-Dame-en-Vaux,

St. George's Church, Sélestat St. George's Church, Sélestat, is a Gothic church in Sélestat (formerly Schlettstadt), Bas-Rhin, Alsace, France. The church, of exceptional size and quality, is near the Humanist Library, which was founded in 1452 by Jean de Westhuss, priest ...

and

St. Peter and St. Paul's Church, Wissembourg St. Peter and St. Paul's Church (french: Église Saints-Pierre-et-Paul) of Wissembourg is frequently, but incorrectly, referred to as the second largest Gothic church of Alsace after Strasbourg Cathedral. However, the building, with its interior g ...

Notes

References

External links

Official Website

Merger of the regions – France 3
{{coord, 48.7544, N, 5.8517, E, source:wikidata, display=title Regions of France 2016 establishments in France States and territories established in 2016