Altorf

Altorf is a common French, located in the department of the the Low-Rhine and the area Alsace.

Geography

Concerned with the canton and District of Molsheim, Altorf is located at a score of kilometers in the west of Strasbourg.

Altorf, sprinkled by the rivers Mittelbach and Mulhbach (affluents of the arm of Altorf of the Beetle) is located at the entry of the valley of the Beetle.

History

The commonly allowed origin of the name of Altorf is the form Alt-dorf (old village) whose old C-W communication is still visible before the second world war. Nevertheless, the older C-W communication Altorf or Altorff does not draw aside really the Latin root altum .

The blazon of Altorf, azure and gold, represents a cramp of mantrap, even a stick of bishop. It is visible on the menhir Lange Stein marking the geographical limit with the village close to Dorlisheim.

Altorf is located on old the via romana connecting Strasbourg to the strategic collar of the Donon. Quickly, the history of the village merges with that of its Benedictine abbey, founded into 974 per Hugues III of Eguisheim. The vault is devoted a little later under the crook of Maïeul, bishop of Cluny.

In 1079, the holy pope Leon IX, resulting from the powerful family of Eguisheim-Dabo empire devotes a furnace bridge to Saint Cyriaque, which it equipped with relics (arm of the saint). The reliquary of Eastern style representing a bust out of polychrome wooden is one of the major pieces of the abbey (second part of XIIe century).

The abbey is equipped, just like Steige and Marmoutier of many dependences, which makes it very prosperous. The churches of Barembach and Grendelbruch, however relatively distant, are incorporated in the abbey of Altorf by the bubble of 1192 of the pope Celestin III, implying in particular the fastening of said. Its properties along Right Bank of the Bruche extending since the course from Rothaine until in the plain from Alsace will return in Evêché of Strasbourg in 1226 to the extinction of the Eguisheim line. In addition, the emperors gave him the right of coinage (currency of Saint-Cyriaque). This privilege was transferred to XIIIe century in Dachstein then Molsheim.

The cultural radiation of the abbey led to the establishment of a university, which will be transferred thereafter to Molsheim in the bosom Carthusian monk, before being also moved to constitute the university of Strasbourg. The architect and scholar Johannes Christophorus Sturm were vice-chancellor of the university of Altorf until 1719.

The economic power and cultural was worth in Altorf some strokes: in 1262 when the village and the convent are set fire to by the of Strasbourg one in revolt against the Walter bishop, in 1525 at the time of a jacquerie which put at bag the abbey (Révolte of the bumpkins), and finally a century later during the Guerre Thirty Year old.

The epopee of the Bumpkins, which occurred a little everywhere in the Holy roman Empire, crystallized in Low-Alsace around Altorf, Dorlisheim and Boersch. The chiefs of the movement Erasme To stack and Georg Ittel respectively of Molsheim and Rosheim established with a troop of 1500 men their general headquarter with Altorf, from where the contagion gained all the province in one week, with troops plundering of the convents and rudoyant Jews.

The confusion of the abbey of Altorf in particular had a considerable repercussion, this episode being reported by an engraving of Matthias Grünewald. The revolt was finally repressed a few weeks later, on May 20th, 1525 by the Duke Antoine of Lorraine, with 18.000 died on the side of the insurrectionists.

At the time of the Thirty Year old war, Swedish troops stationed in the village. One will note in this respect Altorf constituted a point of anchoring in the reconquest of the catholic Counter-Reformation, reconquest which had already been prepared by the opening of a college of Jesuits with Molsheim in 1580. The epitaph of the Matern abbot recalls that it succeeds in 1686 bringing back the inhabitants of the commune of Duttlenheim to the Roman Church and making them leave " the sect of Luther".

This period of war was undoubtedly difficult for the population, if one judges of it by the fact that the rich person abbey had to pawn the abbey stick in 1637 and was in measurement to recover it later only 20 years.

The abbey and its dependences were rebuilt with various recoveries, the last dates some being at the XVIIIe century (rebuilding of the conventual buildings and the transept as from 1715 by the Master baroque Peter Thumb, construction of the organ by André Silbermann in 1723) and more recently in 1991 a complete restoration at the time of the ministry for the priest Henri Host and under the crook of the service of the Historic buildings.

In 1791, the abbey is dissolved by the revolutionists, the Benedictines are constrained to leave. The Romance tympanum on the principal door is destroyed at this period; it will be replaced in 1886 by the sculptor Eugene Dock. All the buildings constituting the abbey are shaven at the XIXe century, except the wing of the abbot, who will act as presbytery more recently.

The church is protected by the Historic buildings in 1932, is registered in 1937 and is classified in 1983.

In 2000, the lintel of the door of the village ( Klostermauer ), damaged in 1965, is restored. In 2001, the Barn of Dîme ( Zehntelschir ) also, to become a media library. In 2004, the gardens of the abbey (hortus, herbarium, pomarium) are restored, arranged and opened with the visit of the public.

Administration

Demography

provisional population for 2005: 1.156

Places and monuments

founded Abbey church Saint-Cyriaque bénédictine in 974 per Hugues III of Éguisheim, rebuilt at the 12th century, then with 17th after a fire. Triple Romance nave with stone sides of size. Chorus and transept baroques of Peter Thumb. Octagonal bell-tower of wood, cover of slate-scales.
Organ Silberman (1730).
Well rebirth in pink sandstone, in the gardens of the abbey.
Barn dîmière , reconverted in media library.
Body of guard , in the past Wachstub .
Menhir ( Lange Stein ) with the locality Gansweidt , marking the limit of the village. 1,40 meter in height, origin probably former to the Celtic settlement of the area.

Personalities related to the commune

References

Kurze Geschichte der Benedictiner-Abtei von Altdorf , Magnus SATTLER, Strassburg Bauer (1887)
Altdorf, Geschichte von Abtei und Dorf , by the archangel SIEFFERT, Faithful Holy Koenigshofen (1950)
St Cyriakus in Altdorf , Günter METKEN, editions Schnell U. Steiner Verlag (1966)
catholic, old Parish church abbey bénédictine Holy Cyriaque Altorf , Henri HOST, editions Schnell und Steiner (1981)
Owners, contractors and cock of village with Altorf, the beginning of the XIXe century , Jean VOGT (1986)
Church Saint-Cyriaque Altorf, old Abbey bénédictine , E. Fritsch, Editions of the Sign (2004)

See too

Common of the Low-Rhine
Altdorf (Alteckendorf)

External bonds

Altorf on the site of the national geographical Institute
Altorf on the site of INSEE
Localization of Altorf on a chart of France and communes bordering
Plane on Altorf on Mapquest
average Altitude and other details

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