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Porthos

Culture of Strasbourg

I find this place to be a fascinating city. It sits on the border between the Latin and Germanic worlds, and is in many ways a mixture of the two cultures. At one time bi-lingual, it is now mainly French speaking, due to the steady Frenchfication of the region. Its cuisine, among many other things, reflects the German heritage of the city. So, what's the general ambiance of the city like? Does it feel more like a German city than a French one?
fab

For me I feel it really as a German ambiance, but I've been there long time ago so I should come back to see it again with adult eyes. As is the whole I think of Strasbourg as having more a german ambiance - the architecture is very similar to the neibouring regions of Germany while it is very different from Paris, which is at the same latitude (not even speaking of the comparision with southern regions!)

I've known quite afew Alsacians, they spoke with a strong accent that most french people would confuse for a german accent (which they won't like!)
I think that most Alsacian can speak german, even if they are not native, because due to the proximity it is necessary.

But as a whole, you're right, this city is somehow at a dividing line (it was the border of the roman empire for centuries). and share caracteristics of both France and Germany. It is the reason why it have been shoosen as a European capital. The same way than Brussels.

Porthos

Quote:
It is the reason why it have been shoosen as a European capital. The same way than Brussels.


I didn't know it was chosen to be the capital of the European Union. I thought Brussels was the sole capital.

Strasbourg would be an interesting choice, as it, like Brussels, is geographically, culturally, and linguistically between the Latin and Germanic speaking realms of Western Europe. But any choice based on such grounds is bound to be heavily Western European - centric, as it ignores Eastern Europe. In order for it to truly be situated in the center of Europe, it would have to be some place in Central Europe. It could never be in Strasbourg, because the rest of Europe wouldn't stand for placing the capital in a powerful, already EU dominating nation like France. That's why it's in an insignificant, smaller, less powerful nation like Belgium.
Irrintzi

Porthos wrote:

I didn't know it was chosen to be the capital of the European Union. I thought Brussels was the sole capital.

Strasbourg would be an interesting choice, as it, like Brussels, is geographically, culturally, and linguistically between the Latin and Germanic speaking realms of Western Europe.


Yes but now there are many Slavic countries and EU is increasing towards the East... the European central pole is changing...
Benjamin [inactive]

There are three 'capitals' of the European Union — Brussels, Strasbourg, and Luxembourg. I'm not quite sure why it's necessary to have three capitals — all the members of the European Parliament have to travel frequently between Brussels and Strasbourg.

Unfortunately, since all this was decided before 2004, it is obviously biased towards Western Europe.
Irrintzi

Benjamin wrote:
There are three 'capitals' of the European Union — Brussels, Strasbourg, and Luxembourg. I'm not quite sure why it's necessary to have three capitals — all the members of the European Parliament have to travel frequently between Brussels and Strasbourg.

Unfortunately, since all this was decided before 2004, it is obviously biased towards Western Europe.


You Forgot a 4th one, Frankfurt, the economic capital with ECB and other banks
fab

I'd say Frankfurt is financial capital, not economic.


the idea to have three capitals comes, I think, from the idea of not giving the feeling of being put appart, at a time when there were only 6 countries in the UE : Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg and Netherlands.
Italy was somehow put appart compared to the others.
Uriel

I know an Alsatian from another forum (or knew -- he hasn't been around for a while, come to think of it), and he came off as fairly French, and obviously thought of himself as French, but when we were posting pictures of food, his favorites might have had French names, but they looked suspiciously like some of my childhood favorites from Germany!
fab

Choucroute garnie, the alsacian official dish:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikip...mons/b/bb/Choucroute-p1030189.jpg

with alsacian traditional drink:


And typical alsacian city name:







it is really much more a "german feel" than a french one...


But this german ambiance is limited to the relately narrow Rhin Valley where Alsace lies. You just have to leave Alsace and move to west for few kilometers to find a much more typical northern french ambiance, exemple of Nancy in Lorraine:






or other places in Lorraine




quite a different ambiance from Alsace.
Uriel

Mmmm, you're making me hungry, fab!

I'm usually not much for cabbage, but I could eat blaukraut all day.....



That sauerkraut, or choucroute, as you call it, looks pretty darn tasty, too!

Is there an Alsace equivalent to spaetzle?



Or knodel?



'Cause knodel and my mom's sour cream venison gravy -- I just died and went to heaven!
fab

I am actually not found of Alsacian choucroute. I prefer the German one.

Uriel, concerning the equivalent of the german food you speak of, I actually don't know. Outiside of Choucroute I am not really a specialist of Alsacian gastronomy.
fab

what is interesting about Strasbourg choice for being a European capital, despite its bi-cultural identity is its poisition :


between Germany and France, but also in the center of the EU (not so much now since the extension) -

Actually Strasbourg is also at the middle of Europe in a north/south scheme: at mid distance from North sea and the mediterranean.


Benjamin [inactive]

Is it true that Alsace is actually the most 'patriotic' region of France, and also that a higher percentage of people there vote Front national than anywhere else? I think I remember hearing something like that before — slightly surprising if that really is the case.
fab

[img]Is it true that Alsace is actually the most 'patriotic' region of France, and also that a higher percentage of people there vote Front national than anywhere else? I think I remember hearing something like that before — slightly surprising if that really is the case. [/img]


It is true that Alsace has among the strongest votes for the national front - I don't know if its make for this reason the most "patriotic" region.

there is traditionally a political strong west/east clivage in France - since a long time. the western regions, which are more rural have being traditionally leftist, while the eastern ones - more industrial - are traditionally more rightist. the national front get strongest results in Provence-Alpes-cote d'Azur and in Alsace. I don't know really the reason of this east-west cliavage.

I'm not sure it means that those regions are more patriotic. the vote for national front is more based on the fear of imigration than of the patriotic feeling. Actually a lot of patriotic people does not vote left, and plenty of persons who vote for national front are not that patriot.


Benjamin [inactive]

fab wrote:
there is traditionally a political strong west/east clivage in France

I just thought you might like to know that 'clivage' in English actually refers to a woman's breasts. It would be better to say 'divide' in this instance.

fab wrote:
the western regions, which are more rural have being traditionally leftist, while the eastern ones - more industrial - are traditionally more rightist.

Interesting. It's actually the other way around in England, with the northern industrial cities traditionally voting Labour, most rural areas traditionally voting Conservative, and the smaller 'unusual' cities (e.g. Oxford, Cambridge etc.) and more isolated poorer rural areas (e.g. Cornwall) traditionally voting Liberal.

fab wrote:
I don't know really the reason of this east-west cliavage.

I think these sorts of divides exist in many countries. For example, Scotland can (or at least could until very recently) be divided quite neatly into four geographical regions based on the most popular political parties, with everything sort of coming together in Edinburgh.
Uriel

I actually didn't think of boobs when I saw his use of "cleavage". It's still a multipurpose word!

I, too, found his analysis of French voting distribution unusual vis-a-vis the usual pattern found in the US, where rural areas tend to vote Republican (right) and Democrats (left) are more likely to be found in the big urban centers. The Republican party mainly finds its supoort in the poor and the rich, while the Democratic party seems to be firmly middle class. If we're generalizing very broadly, of course!
Benjamin [inactive]

Uriel wrote:
The Republican party mainly finds its supoort in the poor and the rich, while the Democratic party seems to be firmly middle class. If we're generalizing very broadly, of course!

Interesting how people so often seem to vote against their own interests — in terms of poor people voting for right-wing parties and that sort of thing.

As far as the UK is concerned though, I'd say it's generally:

Labour — mainly working-class people in urban areas
Conservative — rich people; rural people; many older working-class people
Liberal Democrat — very middle-class; the intellectual ιlite; university students; people in isolated rural areas

Of course, it's more complicated in Scotland, because there's also the SNP, who attract voters from all walks of life.
Uriel

Poorer and rural people in the US tend to be more socially conservative, which is why they gravitate toward the Republican party -- its moral stances are more in line with their social interests. And no one hates welfare recipients like the working poor -- another reason why they tend to like the hardline Republicans. They also feel tax crunches more keenly, so they often prefer a party that isn't promising the moon if only they can fund it through taxes.... or at least that's been my impression of the rationale.
Didier69

I lived two years in Strasbourg. I think some Alsatian people would find outrageous to be assimilated to Germans. These wouldn't like either that our dialects would be mistaken for German. They are strongly attached to their specific identity.

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