Францияның Бас-Рейн департаменті

Department of France

Bas Rhin (bɑ.ʁɛ̃) is a département in Alsace which is a part of the Grand Est super region of France. The name means 'Lower Rhine', referring to its lower altitude among the two French Rhine departments: it is downstream of the Haut Rhin (Upper Rhine) department. Both belong to the European Upper Rhine region. It is, with the Haut Rhin (Upper Rhine), one of the two departments of the traditional Alsace region which until 1871, also included the area now known as the Territoire de Belfort. The more populous and densely populated of the pair, it had 1,152,662 inhabitants in 2021. The prefecture is based in Strasbourg. The INSEE and Post Code is 67. On 1 January 2021, the departemental councils of Bas Rhin and Haut Rhin merged into the European Collectivity of Alsace. The inhabitants of the department are known as Bas Rhinois or Bas Rhinoises.

The Rhine 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 the Vosges Mountains. To the north of Bas Rhin lies the Palatinate forest (Pfälzerwald) in the German State of Rhineland Palatinate, and the German State of Baden Württemberg lies to the east. To the south lies the department of Haut Rhin, the town of Colmar and southern Alsace, and to the west the department of Moselle. On its south western corner, Bas Rhin also joins the departments of Vosges and Meurthe et Moselle.

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 was 18th 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 the Franco Prussian War of 1870 and the First 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 the Second World War, higher than the national level. The rate of population growth between 1946 and 2007 was 83.83%, compared to 57% nationally.

Alsace and the adjacent Moselle department have a legal system slightly different from the rest of France. The statutes in question date from the period 1871–1919 when the area was part of the German Empire. With the return 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 any formal 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.

ElectionWinning candidateParty%2nd place candidateParty% 2022 Emmanuel Macron LREM 58.96 Marine Le Pen FN 41.04 2017 Emmanuel Macron LREM 63.07 Marine Le Pen FN 36.93 2012 Nicolas Sarkozy UMP 63.44 François Hollande PS 36.56 2007 Nicolas Sarkozy UMP 65.58 Ségolène Royal PS 34.42 2002 Jacques Chirac RPR 58.97 Lionel Jospin PS 41.03

The seat of the General Council is located in Strasbourg, in a building designed by the architect Claude Vasconi. The current prefect of the Bas Rhin is Stéphane Fratacci. The representative of the Lower Rhine for the National Youth Council is Mr. Gautier Lutz. Bas Rhin is composed of five arrondissements (Haguenau Wissembourg, Molsheim, Saverne, Sélestat Erstein, and Strasbourg) and 23 cantons.

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 the National School of Administration (ENA), the National Institute of Territorial Studies (INET), the Higher European Institute of Management, and the National School of Physics of Strasbourg.

Strasbourg Cathedral: Strasbourg Cathedral is a masterpiece of Gothic art. Measuring 142 metres high from the Parvise to the top of the tower, it is considered the second largest cathedral in France after that of Rouen. Its astronomical clock dates from the Renaissance and the mechanism dated 1492 is a masterpiece in itself. The Mont Sainte Odile: a living spiritual place. Rising to 764 metres, this mountain in Vosges is topped by a monastery founded by Saint Odile, the patron saint of Alsace. It is a tourist attraction and also a place of pilgrimage.

As of 2020, 3.3% of available housing in the department were second homes. +Communes with population over 1,000 and more than 10% of second homes in 2019 Town Municipal population Percentage ofsecond homes Wangenbourg Engenthal 23.6% Grendelbruch 17.2% Bœrsch 14.2% Lembach 12.8% Entzheim 12.2%

The stork 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.

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 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.