Scherwiller

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

Geography

The commune is located on the wine trail at an altitude of 185 meters. Scherwiller is located at the outlet of the valleys of Holy-Marie-with-Mines in the east, and of Villé in north, with five kilometers in the west of Sélestat, in central Alsace and with 3,5 km of Châtenois towards the south.

Variations and localities

Kientzville

Little story

Mr. Kientz Robert is above all known for the creation of the city intended for the workmen of his factory: Kientzville which was founded in 1947. It was one of the first in France to be worked in the field of the working residences, after war.

The first country cottages of Kientzville had been delivered as from the month of March 1947. Work proceeded under the direction of Mr. Kientz itself and his architect Gustave Stoskopf. Construction was ensured by German prisoners of war whose manpower reached almost 200 men. The first house was completed on April 3rd, 1947. With the end of the year 1947, Kientzville counted 40 houses, 107 inhabitants and 51 children.

Many installations transfer the day with Kientzville: an elementary school, a football stadium, an artificial lake, a hotel with restaurant, a vault and even an aerodrome or 9 planes landed in 1951. After having made build 45 country cottages, Mr. Kientz had great financial problems related to the crisis of the textile. Many country cottages were sold since 1952 and thereafter, the whole of the city of Kientzville became property of the commune of Scherwiller, except a ground of 25 hectares, located at the east of the new village.

In 1956, Kientzville counted 44 country cottages out of wooden and 10 houses in “hard”, with a population of 300 inhabitants. Since, the city became an appendix of Scherwiller.

Today, the lake, the hotel with restaurant, the aerodrome disappeared but there always remains a pleasant framework of life, shared feeling by all the inhabitants of Kientzville, which had been wanted by the founder: Mr. Kientz.

Blazon

August 1st

History

A field occupied by the Romans

The site of Scherwiller was for a very long time occupied, perhaps since the Neolithic era . Then, to the Roman epoch, the way of the Piedmont passed by the communal round of applause. At the time where the Romains occupied the Alsace, they built a road which started from Ebersmunster, passed by Scherwiller, crossed the Val of City and led in Lorraine by Saales, the Round of applause-with-Rupt and Raon-l' Étape. This Roman Voie, which one still saw traces in Lorraine little time ago, followed, with little thing close the layout of the old road of Scherwiller with Thanvillé and that of the current road of Villé to Saales, by Steige. It bore the name of Chaussée of Sarmates, it is at least as it was indicated in the diplomas of the kings of the first two races, gone back from 661 and 949. Later, it was called " Road of Saulniers " because she was especially attended by people who came from Alsace to seek Sel in Lorraine. Not far from this road one discovered on different occasions, of the currencies, the remains of tiles and the Roman pottery. Today still, two milliary columns remain, on the North-South axis, the road of salt coming from the Val of City and in the south the North-South axis a Roman road. This strategic situation generated later the construction of the Château of Ortenbourg towards the XIIe century.

First mention of the village

The first mention of Scherwiller dates from the year 817. Louis the Piles evokes in its confirmatory diploma of the goods of the abbey of Ebersmunster which is called " Scerwillare" or " Scerwiller" a hamlet on the edges of Scheer, name given formerly to the River which crosses the Village, become the Aubach today. According to the legend Sainte Odile passed her youth to Scherwiller. The first hard copy concerning the vineyard goes back to the year 888. The empress Sainte Richarde offered the Dîme harvest of the vines to the convent of Gegenbach (Germany).

The chronicle of Ebersmunster tells that two brothers of noble race had grounds in the area. They made between them a division: one gave its share to the abbey of Moyenmoutier, the other yielded its share to the abbey of Ebersmunster. These goods were considerable, they extended from Stotzheim to Kintzheim and Scherwiller.

About the year 1000 the count of Ortenberg which had founded the Abbaye of Honcourt, had a good part of the area which included/understood the villages located on left bank of Scherr. It included/understood for example Scherwiller, Dieffenthal and the Lorraine villages of Colroy, Ranrupt, Salsey, Stampemont and Saales, this last village now located in the Low-Rhine.

Between the XIIe century and the XIVe century the village belongs to the Habsbourg, but several abbeys and monasteries are also possessionnés in the commune. Two parishes exist at that time in the village: one depends on the chapter cathédral and the other on the Abbaye on Honcourt. The village was undoubtedly never surrounded by a rampart. A small fortress undoubtedly existed, in the village even, as seems to attest it the old street name Joffre which was called Turmgasse (street of the Tower). The geographical location of the village located on a very important axis is worth to him to be on several occasions to be mingled with bloody conflicts. The village is burnt in 1262 then in 1370 at the time of the passage of the Burgundian ones.

16th century at the 19th century

In 1525 is an important date in the history of Scherwiller. At the time of the War of the Peasants, a battle opposed the Rustauds of Alsace to the Duc of Lorraine. The battle proceeded over the communal round of applause of Scherwiller, with the Kreftzen locality, on May 20th, 1525 and made more than 5000 dead. The two parishes will be joined together in 1528

In 1632, at the time of the War Thirty Year old, the village was devastated by the Swedish. The village took its rise at the 18th century. Many houses, which exist still today, go back to this time.

The 19th century was the century of gold of Scherwiller. The village was very prosperous and profited from the industrialization of the valley of Sainte Marie-with-Mines. Scherwiller counted towards 1860, two factories of weaving, two tileries, a factory of paperboard and paper like several lime kilns.

In October 1870, during the seat of place-strong of Sélestat, the accommodated village of the Prussian soldiers. There was no damage with Scherwiller. After the Treated of Frankfurt of May 10th 1871, the village was annexed to the German empire, as the remainder of the the Alsace-Moselle.

At the end of the 19th century, the village was very rich, it counted then nearly 2400 inhabitants. A new church was even built in 1899 - 1900, because the old one had become too exiguous.

From 1900 to 1939

About 1900, the factory of weaving installed close to the station, employed approximately a quarter of the active population of the village. In 1908, the emperor Guillaume II passed by the village, at the time of one of his visits to the Château of Haut-Kœnigsbourg, near. At the time of the First World War, the village lost 51 of its sons but no damage was to regret. November 17th, 1918, Scherwiller became again French.

In the Years 1930, the village was rather prosperous. In 1935, a great project had been born: the realization of the drinking water drain.

The inhabitants lived primarily of the culture of the ground: corn, potatoes, tobacco and vines were the agricultural main activities. Some also had livestock like hens, rabbits, pigs, cows…

Other inhabitants worked in the textile sector: either with the textile factory of Scherwiller or to the spinning mills of Sélestat. In 1936, the strikes of the Popular front had touched the textile factory of Scherwiller, which had just been repurchased by Mr. Kientz, originating in Muttersholtz.

Many trade existed in the village. There was thus: 8 restaurants or coffees, 6 bakeries, 6 grocers, 4 butcheries, 4 tailors, 3 shoe-makers, 2 companies of truck-drivers, a company of sale of wholesale wine, a company of masons, a cinema, several dressmakers…

The village was already located in the zone of attraction of Sélestat. One went to the city to make more important purchases there and for certain entertainments (concerts, spectacles, cinema…). The management of the village was ensured, the day before the Second world war, by the mayor Joseph Bleger, in functions since the municipal elections of 1925.

Administration

Demography

provisional population for 2006: 2.958

Places and monuments

Body of guard of the XVIIIe century

Body of guard of the XVIIIe century, then school of girls between 1853 and 1861. The building is used then as body of guard for the porter. Since 1973, this house shelters the tourist office of Scherwiller. Decoration carved in sheet of acanthus and emblem of Wet cooper. House classified Historic building since 1924. Body of guard of Xavier Weber, assistant of the mayor of 1904 with 1995.

Church Saint-Pierre and Saint-Paul

Church built in 1898-1899; Building, stained glasses and furniture neogothic - Rickenbach Organ

Saint-Wolfgang vault

Vault being between the roads of Sélestat and the Giessen in Scherwiller built in 1698. The polygonal chorus, presents a slit Gothic, walled, and represents the most interesting part of this vault. The roof includes/understands tiles channel. The Nef was destroyed during the Guerre thirty year old, then was treconstruite with the XVIIe century. Inside the vault a statue of Saint Jean is the evangelist and Marie in shoes. This vault contained autefois a Vierge of the Seven pains going back to the end of the XVIIe century. The vault was damaged by the restored lightning in 1899 then the same year. The furnace bridge is of style baroque.

Holy vault Odile

The Chapelle Sainte Odile was rebuilt time when the chapter of the cathedral of Strasbourg was the Master of Scherwiller. It was located on the site of an old vault dedicated in the honor of the owner of Alsace. In 1298 this vault was used as parish and was served by a vicar. According to the legend, Sainte Odile would have remained in Scherwiller, in which its nurse was originating. Very important place of pilgrimage, it is it still with the XVIIIe century. It preserves a relic of holy offered on May 4th 1836, coming from its tomb and transported in procession since the Mont Sainte-Odile on December 13rd, 1836.

Vault of Tannelkreuz (1906

Synagog

Pont de la road of salt

Milliary terminal

While going along the old Roman ways one can see terminals which are distributed all the Roman miles, i.e. all the 1 481,50 meters or all the Roman miles (2222 meters). Certain terminals carry inscriptions, others are anépigraphes. There exist nothing any more but six milliary columns which are of cylindrical form. The terminals of Scherwiller are known under the name of Steinerne Saule i.e. the stone column.

Castles

The Community of Emmaüs

the the Community of Emmaüs of Scherwiller established since 1983. The place of the Station of the village was renamed place of the Abbé Pierre in his homage in March 2007.

Personalities related to the commune

Kientz Robert (1907 - 1967)

Robert Kientz, sons of the husbands Emile Kientz and Marie-Anne Schandené, were born on June 15th, 1907, in Muttersholtz. He was a gifted and serious pupil and made his primary education studies with the college of Matzenheim. After a commercial baccalaureat in Strasbourg, it made a two years training course at the bank of the Rhine with Sélestat. This bank was in the buildings of current bank CIAL, in Sélestat. In the Thirties, it made its military service with Oran, in Algeria. On its return in Alsace, it launched out in the businesses by taking again the textile factory of his father. April 30th, 1934, it Maria with Miss Adèle Beysang (1913 - 1993), originating in Guémar. Of this union four children come:

- Christiane, born in 1942 in Strasbourg and deceased a few days after its birth;

- Sylvia, born on July 29th, 1943 in Colmar. She married Mr. Gilles Jeanpierre (1940 - 2004), army medical officer, on July 2nd, 1965. Of this marriage three children come: Igor born on July 22nd, 1966 with Sélestat, Agnes and Yves born on April 14th, 1970 in Rabat, Morocco;

- Andre, born on August 14th, 1946 in Colmar. He married Miss Michele Meyer (born on June 17th, 1949), on October 7th, 1972. He is bailiff to Holy-Marie-with-Mines.

- Maximin, born on November 13rd, 1949 in Colmar. It holds a tobacco in Sélestat.

Robert Kientz settled in Scherwiller in 1936 and made thrive its factory during many years until the crisis of the textile comes to put a term at its extraordinary odyssey.

He was an extraordinary man, he was the first to be worked for housing construction for his workmen and created the city of Kientzville in 1946. Robert Kientz was also interested during all his life in the music and was during 15 years chair association of the Band masters of the district of Sélestat. In 1965, it was elected city council man of Scherwiller, as of the first turn. He died suddenly in his residence, on August 27th, 1967. Its funerals took place with Scherwiller, 4 days later. The de Gaulle general sent a handwritten letter to the family to deplore the loss of a so good man towards his workmen.

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