Germany / Deutschland » States & Provinces » Elsaß-Lothringen / Alsace-Lorraine

Elsaß and Lothringen were two separate provinces that in the early 1800s were under French control. In 1871, after the Franco-Prussian War, these provinces were combined and went to Germany. After World War I it was returned to France, only to be lost to Germany in World War II. After that war it was again returned to France where it remains today. When Elsaß-Lothringen was part of Germany, France sat on its western border; the grand duchy of Baden to its east; Switzerland to the south. Its northern border was shared with the grand duchy of Luxembourg, the Rheinprovinz (part of Prussia), and the Pfalz (part of Bayern). Learn more: FamilySearch Wiki - Elsass-Lothringen and GenWiki - Elsaß-Lothringen