The fifth film in the series. Alsace-Lorraine is well known as a winegrowing region and the film takes an interesting look at the vineyards and at some of the less well-known but equally interesting sights in the locality.
Title and Credits:
THIS IS ALSACE
Narrated by : Donald Holms
Director of Eastmancolor and Scopy Photography: Eric Owen
Research : Mme. A Rieffel
Music: M De Wolfe
Editor: Paul Davies
Recordists: W. Milner, T. Meyers
Continuity : H.H. Greaves
Directed by : Dennis Kavanagh
Produced by: Harold Baim
SCRIPT
My first introduction to the country of Alsace was in the city of Nancy, where in the year 1429 Joan of Arc spent some time.
Some people say that the Place Stanislas, in the centre of the town, is too ornate, but I found myself transported 200 years back in imagination and history, and I could not help but think of the difference between this and our modern architecture of the 20th century. Ornate, yes, but nevertheless individual and eye catching.
The Place Stanislaus is the pride of the city. Stanislas was an exiled king of Poland, and he devoted himself to the embellishment of the city. Its harmoniously constructed squares and buildings are associated with what is best in French architecture.
Situated in a vast basin at the foot of the Vosges Mountains, is Gerardmer, a town famous for cheeses, and a renowned winter sports centre.
But it was the Vosges Mountains which completely captivated me. An untamed series of forests and trees of unparalleled scenic beauty. Mountain forest country that would be hard to beat wherever in the world one travelled.
A country of waterfalls and small cascades, famous for the blue trout that are to be found there in abundance.
Dividing Alsace from Lorraine, the Vosges Mountains rise gently on the Lorraine side, and descend precipitously to Alsace. Grass covered slopes provide pastureland for cattle and always the trees.
I was enchanted by the sunlight, which gave countless shades and contrasts to this wonderland of forests. I found myself standing completely still, listening to the whisper of the wind through the branches and the songs of the birds.
I looked up and saw the Haut-Köenigsbourg, with its castle originally built in the 13th century. A towering mass as big as the city of Heidelberg depended on its commanding position for its strength.
Man spoils much of nature, but here nature rules supreme.
3000ft above sea level is the Col de la Schlucht, a mountain pass giving magnificent views wherever one chooses to look.
Down below in the valley stands the Chateau Thanvillé.
And so, to Strasbourg, ancient capital of Alsace, into which international trains pour from morning until night.
At the frontier of Switzerland and France, you can enter Alsace by air. From Germany you can come into the country by the River Rhine.
For nearly 500 years, Strasbourg was the centre of Roman military and civil life. Then Charlemagne and the Emperors thrived. Here the Germanic tribes and the Gauls lived. A centre of controversy since the earliest days of history, today a thriving industrial metropolis and a meeting place of nations.
Strasbourg has been called a city of toleration, progressive, humanism and liberty.
I travelled down the River Ill, a tributary of the Rhine, right into the heart of the city, and thought how much like Venice it seemed. Green riverbank, houses with their gardens reaching right down to the water. Quaint architecture, gabled rooftops, houses which, if they could speak, would tell fantastic tales of history.
I must admit that when I was told about the old quarter of the city, I didn't expect to see anything quite like this. The whole scene looked as if it had been taken out of a Hans Andersen fairy story. The half-timbered buildings, the reflections in the water and the constant air of unreality. They call the old quarter Petit France. Whatever its name, it's a place that will remain in your memory long after you have left it.
Strasbourg's heart is the Place Kléber. Here you can sit in the sunshine at a pavement table, sipping a drink, wander around the shops or stroll and watch the world go by.
Flower sellers in the Place Gutenberg add a splash of color.
Here is Strasbourg's famous university. The Prefecture also stands in the Place de la Republique.
Like Geneva, Strasbourg is a meeting place for international gatherings of statesmen. Home of visiting delegations is the Council of Europe, where much of present day history is made. Wherever you go, you are dominated by the cathedral, situated at the end of the Rue Mercier. This magnificent Gothic edifice with its spire 470ft high, insists that you pay homage to its majestic beauty.
I could have stayed in Strasbourg. There was so much to see, so much to do, yet so little time to do it. I was indeed reluctant to leave.
Colmar is the largest town in the centre of the wine making districts of Alsace. It too has its cathedral, whilst appealing, it is not equal to the Cathedral of Strasbourg.
In the centre of the city, I came upon this scene. It reminded me that in Alsace the past is ever present.
In La Place Schwan, which means the place of swans, the old Koïfhus stands, a curious building dating from 1480. Originally a customs house. The Unterlinden Museum with its cloisters, was once a convent. Now one of the show places, of course.
I thought that this 400 year old house was the most beautiful I've ever seen.
Everywhere I went, I was constantly reminded of the fame of the wines of Alsace. As far as the eye can see are vineyards. Grapes, grapes and more grapes. And the hot sun always makes one that little bit more thirsty.
Riquewihr village nestles in the valley of the vines.
The Route des Vins, the Wine Route is 200 miles long and flanked by vineyards on either side. The road passes through villages, the names of which I had known only from seeing them printed on bottle labels.
I came across this wedding procession. It made a colourful scene in this ancient street. I can assure you that the wedding procession followed by these pictures is sheer coincidence.
Storks have built their nests on the rooftops of the houses, since no one seems to know when.
I came across a fortified church. It was situated in the middle of a vineyard.
At Ribeauville, the town crier came out to meet me. Three ruined castles stand above the town, which nestles in the foothills of the Vosges Mountains. Ribeauville produces some of the finest Alsatian wines. The three ancient castles at the end of this street are the trademark of Ribeauville wine.
Of all the Wine Road villages, Riquewihr is the most captivating. It's another fairy tale village. Almost every building in it is 16th century. Each one of them stands almost as the day it was built.
Apart from wine, food is not forgotten in Alsace. Medieval courtyards house inns and hostelries which do justice to the most fastidious appetites.
From the forests of the Vosges, comes wood for all purposes, and there's always someone, somewhere who finds quite an unexpected use for it. I met a man called Spindler who was an artist. This form of craftsmanship is called marquetry and consists of the finding of different naturally coloured shades of wood which are cut and into which other pieces are inlaid.
In this way, interesting pictures are built up. No extraneous dyes or colors are applied, and the final result is well worth the time and effort expended.
You know who this is? The famous doctor, Albert Schweitzer. And you may well ask why he should be mentioned. Well, it was here in Kaysersberg that Schweitzer was born. A village of medieval houses, which also made its name for the excellence of its wine.
It was in this house that Albert Schweitzer lived as a boy. At the time, his father was pastor of the church next door. The house and the church were built almost as one.
One Sunday morning I was in the village of Hundsbach just as church had finished. I must say, I rubbed my eyes when I saw how the people were dressed. It seemed so very strange. I was told, however, that when it came to wearing their Sunday best, what was good enough for their ancestors was good enough for them. It made me feel that my home and the things I knew were very far away indeed.
My final day in Alsace brought me to Wissembourg on the day when the town was having a gala. Buildings were decorated. People were everywhere.
Wissembourg was built around an abbey in the seventh century. The abbey has long since disappeared. The centuries have passed. Wissembourg has changed little.
I suppose that carnival processions are the same the world over, but somehow in Alsace there seemed to be a difference. I find it a little difficult to explain the feeling I had. Maybe it was because the country did not seem to be a part of the 20th century. If it were not for the clothes the people were wearing and the motor cars, all this could well have been happening 300 years ago. It was almost dreamlike.
From the different regions came the dancers in their colourful and distinctive costumes. To twist and twirl in figures, the origins of which are lost in the mists of antiquity.
I came out of my dream with a bang when I was taken to the races on this carnival day. I quickly forgot the past as I became a 20th century loser.
So this is Alsace. I said goodbye, not with regret, as they always say, but happy, knowing that it will be there still, one day when I return.
[The End]
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