Schirrhoffen

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

Geography

History

Schirrhoffen is mentioned for the first time in a clear way in 1347 under the name of Schürhof. It was a feudal property which belonged to the goods which enjoyed Dotzler, i.e. the buffoons of the imperial palace of Haguenau. This property included/understood a castle, a farm, a pond, gardens, meadows and a small vault whose owner was holy Jacques. The current orthography of Schirrhoffen would date from the time of the French revolution. The name " Schirrhoffen" a double root has: Schüre or Schir and Hof. Schüre or Schir, in German Scheune, means given, hangar to store the hay. Hof indicates the old castle of the Masters of Schirrhof. Schirrhoffen thus means " barns located close to the château". THE SEIGNIORY OF SCHIRRHOFFEN The field of Schürhof, called Schirrhoffen today, concerned in 1347 directly the imperial court Haguenau and belonged to the goods of Dotzler. These Dotzler occupied part of the western wing of the imperial castle of Haguenau. Hohenstaufen had allotted part of Schürrieth to them where, on the terrace which borders this last, they had built a castle of hunting. It is at that time that Schürhof was detached from Schürrieth. Schirrhoffen was going to live a a little particular history. In 1391, the field of Schürhof, its mown grounds and 500 meadows, was allotted to Claus Rosenbaum. The Rosenbaum family was a patrician family of Haguenau. Claus Rosenbaum died without leaving children. The stronghold passed then to his/her Catherine sister, wife of Billung zu der Mägde, and then with its descendants, Eschenau. In 1429, Wendling von Eschenau was invested field by an imperial license. After the death of the last of Eschenau, in 1561, the field of Schürhof was allotted to the two secretaries of the chancellery, Wolgang Haller and Georges Knod, each one for half. From 1593, Niedheimer took possession of Schürhof. They were going to play a big role in the history of Schirrhoffen and Schirrhein. Thanks to their relations and interventions, the two communes escaped a quasi unquestionable destruction during the Thirty Year old war. The successive Masters of Schürhof were Jean-Jacques Niedheimer of 1593 to 1609, Jean-Philippe Niedheimer of 1609 to 1659, Jean-Nicolas Niedheimer of 1659 to 1687, Jean-Christophe Niedheimer of 1687 to 1693, and Jean-Frederic Niedheimer of 1693 to 1750. With him the line of Niedheimer died out. It is François-Antoine-Ferdinand Warstatt who was invested seigniory of Schürhof. It dealt with its field until the French revolution. At the beginning of the Revolution, he was the commander of the national guard of Schirrhoffen. In 1793, when the Austrians beat a retreat, it left the country and was withdrawn in Bühl in the Country of Bade. Its goods were confiscated and sold with the biddings. JEWISH COMMUNITY OF SCHIRRHOFFEN At the XIXe century, Schirrhoffen sheltered one of the most important rural Jewish communities of the Low-Rhine. Rare and at the same time single thing in Alsace, the Jews were largely majority in the village. In 1841,71% of the population of Schirrhoffen was Jewish. Following the massive emigration of the Jews in 1871 and with persecutions Nazis at the time of the Second world war, this community completely disappeared today. The only witnesses of the existence of this community are the school and the cemetery. THE SYNAGOG In 1817, the Jewish community of Schirrhoffen obtained the authorization to build a synagog. This synagog was inaugurated saturdays preceding the Jewish new year in 1818. The synagog was then bombarded and set fire to at the time of the combat of the release in 1945. It did not remain any more that calcined walls and it was not any more question of rebuilding it. A JEWISH SCHOOL As of the end of the XVIIIe century, a Jewish school functioned in Schirrhoffen. It was a private school. In 1844, the Israélite community made build a school. Schirrhoffen was managed since 1844 by a majority of Jewish elected officials seen their strong establishment in the commune. During more than one half-century, the municipality was directed by Jewish mayors: 1844 to 1864 by Raphaël Levy, 1865 to 1871 per Leon Weill, 1872 to 1881 by Abraham Weill, 1882 to 1905 per Simon Heymann, 1905 to 1907 per Solomon Kahn. THE JEWISH CEMETERY October 21st, 1881 was set up a Jewish cemetery with Schirrhoffen. This cemetery exists still nowadays, although it does not reside any more Jews at Schirrhoffen. There remains an eloquent testimony of the attachment of the inhabitants of Schirrhoffen to their past and the memory of the Jews which cohabited with them during more than two centuries. SCHIRRHOFFEN TODAY Today, Schirrhoffen is a very pretty, pleasant small village and arranged well. In the center of the village, on a hillock of the terrace which borders Ried, the old castle rises which, by its simple presence, recalls us the origins of the place. The village was born and developed around this castle. The village was in a crisis with 49 at the end of the Second world war. It was rebuilt carefully thanks to the tenacity of its mayors and his population.

Administration

Demography

Places and monuments

Jewish cemetery (1881): the cemetery Jew remains a witness of the history of the one of the most important rural Jewish communities of the north of Alsace
the châtelet (17th century): old residence of the lords of Niedheimer-Wasenbourg

Personalities related to the commune

Alexandre Weill (1811-1899): writer who fixed himself at Paris in 1838 and had as an assiduous listener, Maurice Heine, Gerard de Nerval and Victor Hugo
Raphaël Levy (Mayor of Schirrhoffen of 1844 to 1864) had 4 children whose Achille, postpones grandfather of Brice Lalonde former minister for the environment, like Léopold, postpones grandfather of André Maurois writer, academician

See too

Common of the Low-Rhine

External bonds

Schirrhoffen on the site of the national geographical Institute
Schirrhoffen on the site of INSEE
Schirrhoffen on the site of Quid
Localization of Schirrhoffen on a chart of France and communes bordering
Plane on Schirrhoffen on Mapquest

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