Alsatian culture

The Alsatian dialect

Alsatian is spoken all over Alsace, as well as in parts of Moselle. It is one of the most widely-used regional dialects in France.

Popular and folk arts

Pottery

Pottery is widespread in Alsace, and the Betschdorf and Soufflenheim potteries are particularly well-known.

Furniture

One of the main features of Alsatian crafts furniture is its abundance and variety. Just about every traditional house has its own bench chests, wardrobes, canopy beds, sideboard and traditional Kachelofen stove (usually either made of cast iron or covered in ceramic tiling).

French linen

French linen was often widely used for making household linen. A lot of it can still be found in the form of napkins with red or blue checks or stripes.

Traditional costume

The famous Alsatian bonnet, so symbolic of the region, fell out of use after 1945. It can still be seen occasionally at folk festivals and suchlike. Traditional costume varied considerably according to the village and reflected the social standing and religion of its owner.

Alsatian celebrities

You will find here the major figures of Alsace culture who have lived in Strasbourg

M Pokora (born in 1985)

A well-known French singer who found fame on the Popstars reality TV show.

Abd Al Malik (born in 1975)

Famous French rapper, slammer and composer.

Thierry Mugler (born in 1948)

A famous fashion designer, he has had been a major influence on French haute-couture

Claude Rich (born in 1929)

Film and theatre actor Claude Rich has starred in many hits of stage and screen.

Charlotte de Turckheim (born in 1955)

French actor, director and scriptwriter.

Raymond-Emile Waydelich (born in 1938)

Contemporary artist.

Tomi Ungerer (born in 1931)

Artist and author of books for young people.

Marcel Marceau ("Mime Marceau") (1923 – 2007)

The famous French mime and creator of the Bip the clown character.

Pierre Pflimlin (1907 – 2000)

French politician and penultimate President of the Council of Ministers of the 4th Republic

Hans Arp (1887 – 1966)

Sculptor, artist and poet, one of the founders of the Dada movement.

Albert Schweitzer (1875 – 1965)

Protestant theologian, organist, philosopher and doctor.

Charles de Foucauld (1858 – 1916)

An officer in the French army who became an explorer and geographer, priest and linguist.

Rouget de Lisle (1760 – 1836)

A French soldier who wrote the Marseillaise, a war song for the Rhine Army, which would later be adopted as the French national anthem.

Jean-Baptiste Kléber (1753 – 1800)

French general who fought in the walls of the Revolution.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 – 1832)

German poet, writer, playwright, artist and politician. He studied law at the University of Strasbourg.

Jean-Frédéric Oberlin (1740 – 1826)

Protestant pastor, philanthropist and apostle of social progres.

Gutenberg (1394 – 1468)

German printer who invented mechanical movable type printing in Strasbourg.