History of Bitche

The history of the town of Bitche is indissociable of that of the fortress which overhangs it.

Before 1870

detailed Article: Bitche before 1870

After the construction of the castle, which takes with the wire centuries of the importance because of to be retained like residence of the counts of Deux-Ponts - Bitche, three agglomerations of unequal importance are formed with its feet. The first, called Vorgeburg and made of house-strong with some dependences, is in the south-western part of the glacis. The second, a small hamlet of the name of Rohr called the suburb later, is at the site of the current street Saint Sebastien, primarily gathering operations, it will not be able to develop.

It is differently of the third agglomeration which is called Kaltenhausen. Established in against-low castle, on Right Bank of the Horn and of important a pond, it extends from current the Porte of Strasbourg until the beginning of the current street of the Maréchal Foch. Surrounded very early of a wall, bored of two doors, it attracts many tradesmen and craftsmen who appreciated this safety sought during the turbid periods of the Moyen-âge. Kaltenhausen cannot escape brutality from the Swedish, which, depities not to have been able to seize the castle, reduces it in ashes at the time of the Guerre Thirty Year old. Rohr must undergo the same fate besides. The rebuilding, which lasts of the decades, is constantly stopped by the ceaseless conflicts free - Lorraine which devastate the area.

All these misfortunes end with the " réunion" city with the France in 1680. Vauban, in charge of construction again castle of Bitche, makes surround Kaltenhausen and Rohr of a bastionnée enclosure which he leans with the fortress thus creating a true fortified town which takes the name of Bitche. Many immigrants of French language, benefitting from the facilities granted by Louis XIV to the newcomers come to fix themselves at Bitche. This flow of immigration is stopped by the Traité of Ryswick of 1697 which obliges the France to reassign the Lorraine with its rightful owner, Léopold Ier of Lorraine. But of the the Tyrol iens, of the Swiss S, the Wurtemberg eois, the Luxembourg takes the changing.

The French return to Bitche 1738 for refortifier the city. It is at that time that Augustins opened with Bitche the first college of secondary education, ancestor of the college Saint-Augustin. In the middle of the 19th century, Bitche having been classified fortified town of first class in 1850, sees its reinforced defense. One surrounds it by a new enclosure and one builds on the hill of the Rock-Opening a fort, the strong Saint-Sebastien, supplemented by a fortified camp.

The head office of Bitche (1870-1871)

detailed Article: Bitche during the seat of 1870-1871

The day before the official declaration of the war, the place shelters seventeen battalions of Infanterie and two regiments of Cavalerie. Bitche, the general of Failly vainly awaited orders after being informed of the combat of the Hospital, close to Forbach, and Wœrth, in south-west. At the evening of the August 6th 1870, it makes the decision to leave Bitche for the Small-Pierre with his two divisions, leaving the Trains to Bitche.

To prevent that the troops survivors of Wœrth and Forbach do not propagate rumors demoralizing among its own troops taken refuge in the Citadelle and within the population bitchoise, ordering it Teyssier orders to gather the soldiers with the Fort Saint-Sebastien and in the fortified camp with the foot from this fort. Under the orders of colonel Kohlermann, a German detachment arrives at Niederbronn the August 22nd 1870 and makes at once summation with the commander of the Citadelle of Bitche requiring of him to return the place, which Teyssier refuses.

The commander Teyssier is informed of the rout of Sedan the September 2nd 1870 by an emissary come from Metz. Not to break moral its troops and population bitchoise, he prefers to conceal the news. The September 13rd 1870, a certain number of Bitchois is evacuated in the surrounding villages. In the evening of the September 20th 1870, the German stop their shootings gradually. A member of Parliament comes to announce with Teyssier that the République was proclaimed with Paris and that Guillaume Ier is under the walls of the capital. The noise of the guns ceases the September 21st 1870: the shootings on the Citadel and the town of Bitche lasted exactly ten days and ten nights.

Starting from the September 25th 1870, true the Blocus of the city is set up. At the end of the month of January 1871, a newspaper arrives at besieged teaching them rendering from Paris. In spite of this news, the flag French continues to float on the Citadelle. The Armistice of the January 28th 1871 does not modify of anything the situation city. The garrison leaves the city the March 25th 1871 and the March 26th 1871, the German troops penetrated with Bitche. After having been French since 1766, the town of Bitche becomes again German.

Bitche under the German domination

detailed Article: Bitche of 1871 to 1918

The May 10th 1971 is signed the Traité of Frankfurt, yielding to the Germany the Alsace less Belfort and part of the Lorraine, including the Arrondissement of Sarreguemines of which Bitche forms part. 100.000 people approximately voluntarily leave is France. To Bitche, occupying it German will not waste time and as of the May 22nd 1871, rebuilding works start on the citadel. These installations give the one period old signal of rebuilding which will give again life at the town of Bitche still marked by the seat.

A wave of immigration will compensate for the reduction in the population after the seat of 1870 - 1871. It comes there especially from the German civils servant while the teaching of the French is interdict in the schools. The military reinforcement German is accentuated in this end of 19th century to Bitche. The year 1900 sees the demolition of the Door of Landau and the pousuite of the destruction of the ramparts of the city. Only the Door of Strasbourg subsite until our days. A parade ground and shootings are made up in 1900 near Bitche by the repurchase of 3.285 hectares grounds.

When the war bursts in 1914, the Bitchois from 18 to 45 years leave to fight under the German uniform and the First World War sees falling thus 48 Bitchois to the field from German honor . The Armistice of the November 11th 1918 remakes to pass Bitche to the France after forty seven years of German presence.

The return to France

detailed Article: Bitche of 1918 to 1939

The November 22nd 1918, eleven days after the Armistice, the population bitchoise accommodated the French troops . The August 22nd 1919, the President of the Republic Poincaré visit Bitche to officially give to the city the Legion of honor, allotted by decree of the June 14th 1919 of the President of the Republic. The Marshal Pétain visit also the city the October 17th 1921.

In 1930 begins the construction of the Ligne Maginot intended to protect the provinces from the east of a new German invasion . This line of defense will give to Bitche a military character without precedent, giving work to all the population of the Bitscherland. The city receives the visit of André Maginot the September 8th 1931. Remaining several days downtown, he on the spot studies the best strategic sites for the futures great works of the Ligne Maginot.

Evacuation in Charente and combat of the Maginot Line in 1940

detailed Article: Bitche in 1939

The Reich reacts to the construction of the Ligne Maginot by the construction of a frontier line of defense , called the Westwall (the wall of the west) which is called later Ligne Siegfried by the Alliés. September 1st 1939, two days before the official declaration of the war of the France to the Germany, the bells of the church Holy-Catherine give the signal of the evacuation of the city. The refugees bitchois arrive thus in Charente.

In June 1940, the sector bitchois of the Ligne Maginot is defended by the elements of the 158e Régiment of Mechanized Infantry French. The German of the 257e Division of Infantry tackle the French positions the June 14th 1940. The strengthened work of the Simserhof resists the German attack until the June 25th 1940, date of coming into effect of the Armistice. The French troops of the work continue nevertheless to hold their positions. They await the official order of the government French to stop the combat which reaches them the June 30th 1940.

Return to Bitche and life under the occupant Nazi

detailed Article: Bitche of 1940 to 1944

After the arrival of the German in Charente during the summer 1940, Bitchois can regain their city, that is to say exactly a year after their departure, and are accommodated by the administration Nazi E. The department of the the Moselle is officially joined together, the November 30th 1940, with the the Saar and the Palatinat to form the new province of the Westmark. As of the year 1943, the authorities Nazis make pressure on all the civils servant bitchois to encourage them to adhere to the Nazi party.

The year 1942 is heavy of consequence for the Alsace-Lorraine. First of all the May 26th 1942, Laval states during a maintenance to give up the Alsace-Lorraine in the name of the Collaboration, and then the August 29th 1942, the Gauleiter Bürckel makes a speech with Metz, in which he proclaims total political purification and the insitution of the Military service obligatory. The October 17th 1942, the first Bitchois of the classes 1922 - 1923 and 1924 built-in the German armed , are followed as of the January 5th 1943 by the incorporation of the men of the classes 1920 and 1921.

The escape of the authorities Nazis, on September 1st 1944, and the news of the victorious progression of the American encourages an small group of FFI bitchois to contact FFI of Sarreguemines to discuss a possible intervention. They thus ask for a parachuting of weapons close to Althorn where they know a group of men of the maquis but this parachuting forever place. When a multitude of agents of the Gestapo, Sicherheitsdienst , of customs gendarmes and starts to cross the city in direction of the Germany, the population does not have any more doubts.

Bitche in 1945

detailed Article: Bitche in 1945

The engagements between the troops American Nazis and in the area of Bitche begin the December 3rd 1944. The Tuesday December 5th 1944, the first American Obus fall down on Bitche and the population takes refuge immediately in the cellars. These Bombardement S will continue during cent-trois days, with intensity at the beginning and the end and sporadic meanwhile. The December 31st 1944, the German troops attack in accordance with a plan conceived by Hitler itself. It is about the Opération Nordwind, a great attack which will set ablaze six parts of the face between Sarreguemines and Colmar. As for the town of Bitche, it is selected like starting point of one of these attacks.

As soon as the face moves away from Bitche, about thirty agents of the Gestapo, a score of gendarmes Nazis, a Kreisleiter and a Landrat , installed in the cellars of the Hotel of Metz, return once again to settle downtown. The American offensive towards Bitche takes place Friday March 15th 1945. The German troops , realizing that it is useless to resist, desert Bitche in the evening from the March 15th 1945. Thus the total rendering of the city takes place the March 16th 1945. The departure of the German troops avoids in fact at the city a total destruction since the troops US are given to finish some.

The Bitchois are released after an occupation of four years and half and a one hundred three days life in the cellars. The release of the city involves some settlings of score with the individuals having had close connections with the occupant Nazi and some tonsures are afflicted with ladies having too fraternized with the Nazis. Seventy-nine people are judged for facts of collaboration in all the Canton of Bitche. Another consequence of the Second world war, the Canton of Bitche watch a demographic fall of 41,9% compared to the population of 1936. The scars of the engagements will still put long years to disappear from the town of Bitche and nearby villages.

Bitche since 1945

The May 23rd 2006, three Cloche S were molten at the time of the official unveiling of the new course of visit, in the presence of representatives Politique S. Christiane Leroy, wife of the president of the district council, the godmother and Gerard Mordillat, the realizer of the besieged Forteresse , the godfather, ran with the workmen of the company Strasbourg eoise Vœgele the mixture of Cuivre and tin. The May 25th 2006, the founders broke the gangues of Argile and droppings of Cheval to reveal the three heaviest Cloche S., weighing sixty-three kilos and struck with the armorial bearings of the city and the commander Teyssier, will sound with the flight while the two others, weighing forty and twenty kilos, will join single the Cloche of time to sound the hour. The Chime, as for him, will function only in 2007, date of the restoration of the Chapelle of the Citadelle.

Sources

Country of Bitche , Didier Hemmert 1990.
Bitche and its country , Andre Schutz 1992.
grelots of the wind, images and mirages of the Country of Bitche , abbot Bernard Robin 1984.
a sand glass of fogs , abbot Bernard Robin, 1989.
Coats of sandstone and laces of fir tree , abbot Bernard Robin 1992.
Bitche and its canton, of the origins at 1945 , Francis Rittgen 1988.

External bonds

"The head office of Bitche 1944-1945" Documentary on the annexation of Bitche to IIIe Reich in 1940 and the release in 1944-1945

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