Grand Est


Grand Est is an administrative region 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 It superseded three former administrative regions, Alsace, Champagne-Ardenne and Lorraine, on 1 January 2016 under the provisional name of Alsace-Champagne-Ardenne-Lorraine, as a result of territorial reform which had been passed by the French Parliament in 2014.
The region sits astride three water basins, spanning an area of, the fifth largest in France; it includes two mountain ranges. It shares borders with Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany and Switzerland. As of 2021, it had a population of 5,561,287 inhabitants. The prefecture and largest city is Strasbourg.
The East of France has a rich and diverse culture, being situated at a crossroads between the Gallic-Latin and Germanic worlds. This history is reflected in the variety of languages spoken there. 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. The city of Reims, where Frankish king Clovis I 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 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 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, 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 —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, 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 and Austrasie 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, 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. 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, 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—Belgium and Luxembourg on the north, Germany on the east and northeast, and Switzerland 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 on the northwest.
File:Alsace-Champagne-Ardenne-Lorraine et provinces.svg|thumb|upright=2|Map of the new region with its ten départements, colored according to the historical provinces as they existed until 1790.

Departments

Grand Est contains ten departments: Ardennes, Aube, Bas-Rhin, Marne, Haute-Marne, Haut-Rhin, Meurthe-et-Moselle, Meuse, Moselle, Vosges.

Topography

The main ranges in the region include the Vosges to the east and the Ardennes 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, Moselle, Marne, and Saône.
Lakes in the region include lac de Gérardmer, lac de Longemer, lac de Retournemer, lac des Corbeaux, Lac de Bouzey, lac de Madine, étang du Stock and lac de Pierre-Percée.

Climate

Grand Est climate depends on the proximity of the sea. In Champagne and Western Lorraine, the climate is oceanic, with cool to mild winters and warm summers. But Ardennes, Moselle and Alsace climates are borderline humid continental - oceanic, 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 and Haut Rhin, to take effect in 2021.

Demographics

The region has an official population of 5,562,651 .
Cities with over 20,000 inhabitantsFormer region2021
StrasbourgAlsace291,313
ReimsChampagne-Ardenne179,380
MetzLorraine120,874
MulhouseAlsace106,341
NancyLorraine104,260
ColmarAlsace67,730
TroyesChampagne-Ardenne62,782
Charleville-MézièresChampagne-Ardenne46,398
Châlons-en-ChampagneChampagne-Ardenne43,877
ThionvilleLorraine42,163
HaguenauAlsace35,715
SchiltigheimAlsace34,129
ÉpinalLorraine31,832
Vandœuvre-lès-NancyLorraine29,537
Illkirch-GraffenstadenAlsace27,118
Saint-DizierChampagne-Ardenne23,068
Saint-LouisAlsace22,698
ÉpernayChampagne-Ardenne22,001
Montigny-lès-MetzLorraine21,854
ChaumontChampagne-Ardenne21,699
ForbachLorraine21,130
SarregueminesLorraine20,624
LingolsheimAlsace20,266

2021 RankDepartmentLegal Population in 2021Area Aroen INSEE Dept. No.
1Bas-Rhin1152662475567
2Moselle1049942621616957
3Haut-Rhin767083352521868
4Meurthe-et-Moselle732486524614054
5Marne565292816251
6Vosges360673587488
7Aube31132960045210
8Ardennes268859522908
9Meuse181919621155
10Haute-Marne171042621152

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 Strasbourg. 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.