The favourite village of the French people in 2020

On Wednesday the 1st July 2020 a programme called “Le Village Préféré des Français” was shown on French TV channel France 3. 14 villages across France competed for the prestigious prize of the favourite village of the French people, knowing that reaching the top 3 would greatly help the local tourist industry.

About the favourite village of the French people

The 13 regions of mainland France and the Overseas départements had entered a village to the competition, all of them having in common a rich historic and cultural heritage.

Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue, Normandy © Benh LIEU SONG – licence [CC BY-SA 3.0] from Wikimedia Commons

• In 2019, Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue, in the département of Manche (Normandy), was elected as favourite village of the French people.
• In 2020, the great winner was Hunspach, a village in the historic province of Alsace.

The 14 villages nominated for 2020:

• 14 Cargèse (Corse-du-Sud), Corsica
• 13 Giverny (Eure), Normandy
• 12 Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges (Haute-Garonne), Occitania
• 11 Aubeterre-sur-Dronne (Charente), Nouvelle-Aquitaine
• 10 Chablis (Yonne), Bourgogne-Franche-Comté
• 9 Montfort-l’Amaury (Yvelines), Île-de-France
• 8 Montpeyroux (Puy-de-Dôme), Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
• 7 Trôo (Loir-et-Cher), Centre-Val de Loire
• 6 Batz-sur-Mer (Loire-Atlantique), Pays de la Loire
• 5 Pierrefonds (Oise), Hauts-de-France
• 4 Pont-Aven (Finistère), Britanny
• 3 Ménerbes (Vaucluse), Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur

The old village of Ménerbes © French Moments

• 2 Les Anses-d’Arlet (Martinique), Overseas départements

Les Anses-d’Arlet
© Mickaël BRUNO – licence [CC BY-SA 4.0] from Wikimedia Commons

• 1 Hunspach (Bas-Rhin), Grand Est

The village of Hunspach in Alsace © French Moments

The great winner of the 2020 edition of the contest is Hunspach in Alsace (part of the Grand Est administrative region).

The village of Hunspach is situated north of Alsace, in a region called “Outre-Forêt” (literally ‘beyond the forest’ – the forest being that of Haguenau). 

The village is famous for its beautiful white and neat half-timbered houses. Hunspach is also listed as one of France’s Most Beautiful Villages.

Photos of Hunspach, Alsace

Here’s a few photos that I took when visiting the village of Hunspach on a bright December day!

Hunspach, the 2020 Favourite Village of the French © French Moments

Half-timbered houses in Hunspach, Alsace © French Moments

Beautiful half-timbered house in Hunspach © French Moments

An inner courtyard, Hunspach, Alsace © French Moments

The 2020 Favourite Village of the French: Hunspach, Alsace © French Moments

Farm house in Hunspach, Alsace © French Moments

Shop sign in Hunspach, Alsace © French Moments

Beautiful half-timbered house in Hunspach, Alsace © French Moments

By the Christmas tree in Hunspach, Alsace © French Moments

The village souvenir store, Hunspach, Alsace © French Moments

The favourite village of the French people: Hunspach, Alsace © French Moments

By the Christmas tree, Hunspach, Alsace © French Moments

Most of the timbered houses date back to the 17th and 18th centuries, Hunspach, Alsace © French Moments

Hunspach, the 2020 Favourite Village of the French © French Moments

Hunspach, Alsace © French Moments

Geraniums in Hunspach, Alsace © French Moments

Half-timbered house in Hunspach © French Moments

Read more about Hunspach in Frenchfrenchmomentsfamily on our French-written blog!

English-French Vocabulary

Geraniums in Hunspach, Alsace © French Moments

(f) for féminin, (m) for masculin, (adj) for adjective and (v) for verbs

• channel = chaîne (f)
• to elect = élire (v)
• favourite = préféré(e) (adj)
• region = région (f)
• village = village (m)
• vote = vote (m)
• winner = gagnant (m)

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