old Mulhouse or Mülhausen

The regions of Alscace and Lorraine in France are known as Elsass and Lothringen in German and have been fought over by the two countries for centuries. Those who visit them will notice a preponderance of German placenames, and often a lot of German architecture.  The last two occasions when they changed ownership were in 1940, when Hitler invaded, and 1945 when the French took them back.  Since then things have remained stable and peaceful, and the two countries became close partners.

The first postcard of Mulhouse ("mill house") is from the early 20th century and the second is from late 1940, as is obvious.