The
Alsace-Moselle is the current legal name of the
Alsace-Lorraine territory, the part of
France that was part of
Germany from 1871 to 1919 (and then from 1940 to 1944-1945), consisting of the
départements of
Haut-Rhin and
Bas-Rhin (both of which make up
Alsace), and the département of
Moselle (itself being the eastern part of
Lorraine). While an integral part of France, it has for historical reasons different
customs and
laws on certain issues, nobably those where France adopted a standard or principle in the period 1871-1919. The region is also notable for the large number of mother-tongue
High German dialect speakers (
Alsatian, a dialect of Upper German, in
Alsace; and several
Frankish dialects of West Middle German in
Moselle), although the number of native speakers has dwindled significantly since the Second World War, and
French is now paramount in these regions.
The most striking of the legal differences is the absence of
separation of Church and State - even though the constitutional right of
freedom of religion is guaranteed. Alsace-Moselle is still under the pre-1905 regime established of the
Concordat, which provides for the public subsidy of the
Roman Catholic Church, the Lutheran Church, the Calvinist Church and the
Jewish religion as well as public education in those religions (parents may refuse religious education for their children). Priests are paid by the state; Catholic bishops are named by the
President on the proposal of the
Pope. The public
University of
Strasbourg has courses in
theology.
Those dispositions are unusual in a country where Church and State are more strictly separated than in most other countries. Controversy erupts periodically on the appropriateness of these and other extraordinary legal dispositions of Alsace-Moselle. Periodically, freethinker groups contend that this public funding of certain religions should stop. Others argue that, nowadays, the second largest denomination in
France is
Islam and that Islam should thus enjoy comparable status with the four official religions. Despite the controversy, the
status quo looks like it will persist.
Other legal differences include:
Another difference is that in
Alsace-Lorraine, most
trains run on the right of the tracks, as in
Germany, whereas the normal rule in
France is on the left.
Category:Geography of France