This original composition by Johan Nijs consists of four parts. Part I deals with the "Ballon d'Alsac," a mountain in France which has often been part of the Tour de France circuit. Part II is named after Colmar, the third most important city in the Alsace region. Part III, "La petite Venise" (Small Venice), refers to a district in Colmar with many picturesque houses along the river Lauch. Part IV evokes Turckheim, a village in the Upper Rhine which originally belonged to the abbey of Munster. Ballon d'Alsace The 1247 meter high ‘Ballon d'Alsace' is a mountain in France in the southern part of the Vosges. The ‘Ballon d'Alsace' is situated in the borderland between Alsace-Lorraine and Franche-Comté in the natural park of the Vosges. The Tour de France crossed the ‘Ballon d'Alsace' for the first time on July 10, 1905, making it the first ever mountain stage of the race. Since then the Tour de France has crossed the ‘Ballon d'Alsace' many times, most recently during the ninth stage of the 2005 Tour. The ‘Ballon d'Alsace' is situated on the territory of four municipalities, four departments and three regions. Colmar is a French city in Alsace. It is the prefecture (capital) of the Haut-Rhin (Upper Rhine) Department. It boasts two railway stations: Colmar-Méssanges and Colmar-Saint-Joseph. The town lies in rather flat country on the river Lauch and at the foot of the Vosges mountains. It is the third most important city of Alsace, after Strasbourg and Mulhouse. Colmar has a sunny microclimate which makes the area extremely well-suited for viniculture. In the past Colmar has always been spelled with a "C," even in German, though from 1871-1918 the official spelling was with a "K." La Petite Venise ‘La petit Venise' (Small Venice) is a district in Colmar with many picturesque houses alongside the river Lauch. This quarter is one of the notable curiosities of Colmar.Turckheim is a municipality in the French Haut-Rhin (Upper Rhine) Department in the Alsace region. It is part of the Colmar district. The Turckheim territory originally belonged to the abbey of Munster. In 1312 Turckheim became an imperial free town of the Upper Rhine area within the Holy Roman Empire (Germany). It became part of the Alsatian Decapolis in 1354.
