Wittenheim

Wittenheim is a French city located in the northern suburbs of Mulhouse. It is an old mining city of the Potassic Basin of Alsace which belongs to the department Haut-Rhin and area Alsace.

Its inhabitants is called the Wittenheimois and the Wittenheimoises .

Geography

Located at eight kilometers in the north of Mulhouse, Wittenheim holds an important place in the economy of Haut-Rhin. With 15.026 inhabitants (7 472 men and 7.554 women), that is to say a density of 790 inhabitants to the km ², it is the fourth commune most populated department after Mulhouse, Colmar and Saint-Louis. The population is in light rise compared to the preceding census. In nine years, since 1990, the common one gained 702 inhabitants. In twenty-four years, since 1975, the common one increased by 2.464 inhabitants. The distribution between young people and less young people is about the same one as in the whole of the department. Wittenheim is a common young person. The 4.149 young people of less than 20 years account for 27,6% of the population (25, 3% in the department). However, the ageing of the commune continues, since the share of more than 60 years was of 12,3% in 1982 and 18,7% in 1999 (2814 of the inhabitants of the commune have more than 60 years including 801 of more than 75 years). This proportion is of 19,5% for this age bracket in the department in 1999. In 1999,1602 people of foreign nationality reside at Wittenheim is 10,7% of the total population (8% in Haut-Rhin). Compared with the last two censuses, the proportion from abroad is in very clear reduction (2311 foreigners in 1982, is 17,3%).

History

The site of the village is occupied since the Neolithic era as the archaeological discoveries of the beginning of the XXe century attest it. Then will be the turn of the Celts and the Romans to settle there. The foundations of an important Roman villa will be fortuitously discovered besides during the construction of an allotment in 1978.

Old Austrian stronghold, the castle of Wittenheim, residence of noble of Wittenheim then of Von Hus von Wittenheim, at summer destroyed by the Swedes at the time of the Thirty Year old war. The feudal mound, the rebberg, remains visible in the East of the city. Wittenheim will be also the seat of a very important convent of moniales, the convent of Schoenensteinbach. Dismantled at the time of the French revolution, its foundations are again visible thanks to recent excavations.

Village with agricultural vocation, Wittenheim develops in second half of the XIXe century with the arrival of textile industry, in particular the Kullman factories. Wittenheim knows a true demographic boom then.

In 1904, Amélie Zurcher discovers potash with Wittelsheim, a nearby village. It will be the beginning of a flourishing industry which will durably mark the life and the aspect of Wittenheim. September 22nd, 1909, opening of the first potash " well; Amélie" (Construction of the mining cities, head-frames, economic advancement).

The Second world war will bring its batch of sufferings and destruction (Destruction of the church Sainte Marie). The release of the city by the American troops will open one new era of development: initially district rural with its mill then industrial town with the textile and then the mine, it is today, the fourth commune of Haut-Rhin turned towards the services and the trade.

Key dates

829 after J.C. : The name of Wittenheim appears for the first time in a manuscript under the mention “Witanhaim”.
1138: Installation of a religious female community to the convent Sainte-Marie de Steinbach.
1419: The village belongs to the family of Andlau.
1648: Swiss immigration which helps to reconstitute the demography of the village following the losses of the Thirty Year old war.
1792: The nuns leave the convent of Schoenensteinbach which will be demolished.
1890: Installation of the Spinning mills and Kullmann Weavings.
1888: Startup of a tram line with vapor.
1912: Starting of mining with Wittenheim.
1914-18: If the commune does not suffer materially from this war, 100 men of Wittenheim will be killed on the battle fields.
1929: Electrification of the tram and prolongation of the line until Ensisheim.
1930-36: Deceleration of the production of potash and during some time, the Spinning mills and Kullmann Weavings close their production unit.
1939-45: Wittenheim will be annexed in June 1940 (like all the Alsace area) by the German Nazi regime and will be released between on January 31st and on February 2nd, 1945. The Military Cross with Money Star will be allotted to the commune to be painfully tested by the occupation and the war.
1958: Wittenheim becomes Chef-lieu of canton.
1965: Creation of intercommunity association with multiple vocation of the Potassic Basin whose commune of Wittenheim will be member.
1972: Closing of the Fernand mine.
1973: Closing of the Anna mine.
1986: Embankment of the Theodore well.
1995: Transformation of the SIVOM into the Community of Communes of the Potassic Basin (CCBP).
2004: Wittenheim integrates the Community of Agglomeration Southern Mulhouse Alsace (CAMSA) like 9 other communes of the Potassic Basin.

Administration

|- | align=right| March 1983 || Antoine Gissinger || also appointed |- | align=right| March 2001 || Paul Zwingelstein || deceased in December 2001 |- | align=right| January 2002 || Antoine Homé || PS |- | colspan=" 3" align=" center" | Les data former to 1965 is not yet connues. |}

source: http://wittenheim68.free.fr/maires.htm

Demography

Provisional population for 2006: 15.676

Places and monuments

Église Sainte-Marie of Wittenheim-center
Église Holy-Bores
Chevalement of the mine Theodore
Vestiges of the convent of Schoenensteinbach
Roman Vestiges, Thiers place.
feudal Mound, Rebberg.
Forest of Nonnenbruch

Personalities related to the commune

See too

Common of Haut-Rhin
Witternheim, commune of the Canton of Benfeld (the Low-Rhine)
Wittersheim, commune of the Canton of Haguenau (the Low-Rhine)

External bonds

the official site of the town of Wittenheim
Wittenheim on the site of the national geographical Institute
Wittenheim on the site of INSEE
Wittenheim on the site of Quid
Localization of Wittenheim on a chart of France and communes bordering
Plane on Wittenheim on Mapquest
Association for the safeguard of the head-frame of Theodore

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