MULHOUSE - ALSACE
Industry, History and Wine Road
The French city of Mulhouse in the Upper Rhine Valley of Alsace only has 113,000 inhabitants in the city limits - but more than 6,000 businesses. Once an industrial center of manufacturing, first driven by the textile industry, the city makes a charming tourist destination just na 18 minute train ride from Basel and 40 minutes by car from Strasbourg, Mulhouse (pronounced “muhloose”), lies at the southern gateway to the Alsatian wine route (see Alsace Route de Vins). Before heading into the country to explore the vineyards a visit to Mulhouse offers a look into the transformation of Europe, marked by the tri-corner Europa Tower, the tallest structure in western France, built as a symbol of the European unification.
The city with an independent streak has been strongly influenced by Protestantism and Humanism. For a long period of time, the city was actually an independent republic and a member of the Swiss confederation rather than France. Evidence of this independence can be seen in the colorfully illustrated Renaissance Town Hall, centerpiece of the old city square which dates back to the 16th century, where the councilmen of the Republic of Mulhouse held their sessions. It is located on the Place de la Réunion, across from the neo-Gothic church, the Temple Saint-Étienne, with the tallest bell tower of any Protestant church in France, amidst an ensemble of historic buildings harkening back to the city long heritage.
In Mulhouse, as in the rest of the Swiss confederation driven by a fervent work ethic, a lively manufacturing sector developed. During the 18th century, entrepreneurs named Koechlin, Dollfus and Schmalzer started printing cotton fabric. French wool and silk textiles and imports from the east, suddenly had strong competition. By the turn of the 19th Century nearly every woman in Europe and strolling the boulevards of Paris wore the summer dresses from fabric made Mulhouse. But the fabric business faded and other industries took over.
Railway construction, chemicals and mechanical engineering gave Mulhouse the nickname of the “French Manchester”. Cotton importing brought town villas with white colonnades influenced by the Louisiana farms which supplied the cotton. Terraced houses of the kind found in Manchester were built and the responsible mercantile middle classes had worker’s housing estates developed that had individual gardens and community courtyards. In 1853 the Cité Ouvrière was built for 1,200 families. The La Fonderie, built in 1823 in the middle of the city originally for the assembly of steam locomotives and later expanded to house mechanical looms and printing presses has been preserved and dedicated as an art exhibition hall and University building. In 1962 Peugeot started making cars in Mulhouse and is now the largest employer.
Popular Farmer’s Markets can be found in towns throughout Europe but the weekly market in Mulhouse is largest in all of north-eastern France. The region’s fresh produce and specialties on sale in temporary booths and the permanent market house built at trhe trun of the last centeury finds goods from all over the world competing with local meats, cheeses and delicacies.
Mulhouse’s industrial heritage provides from some of the most unique and not to be missed museums in France. The French National Railway Museum presents one of the world’s most extensive collection of railroad history in continental Europe (see Cite Du Train Mulhouse). The Auto Collection Schlumph, founded from a private collection of classic and vintage automobiles presented in a former wool spinning factory is a stunning collection for car enthusiasts (see Cite de l'Automobile Collection Schlumpf). The Museum of Printed Textiles, features old printing blocks and machines, patterns and cloth from the region and the world. Several times a year, unique temporary exhibitions take place, like the recent presentation of Russian Revolution fabrics and wallpaper, a revolutionary idea by textile entrepreneurs. Even unique among these is the Electricity Museum, located in a former steam power generating station, with the centerpiece of a massive steam power engine now part of an interactive experience (see EDF Electropolis).
High-speed trains connect Mulhouse with the major European cities, a stop on the French TGV line from Paris to Basel (see TGV Tours and Rail). And along with Basel and Freiburg sharing the tri-country an international airport, the Euro-Airport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg. © Bargain Travel Europe
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See Also:
HOTEL LA COUR DU ROY - SAINT-LOUIS ALSACE
CHRISTMAS MARKETS BY TRAIN - FROM PARIS
