Ban de la Roche
Encyclopedia
Le Ban de la Roche is the name of an ancient seigneurie and later a county. It is situated in Alsace
, France
, Département du Bas-Rhin. This small region is referred by its old (Ancien-régime) name, because of its strong identity and it being relatively different from its neighbours (French-speaking: Welche
) although in Alsace; Lutheran surrounded by Catholic villages. There was an Amish farm in the village of Neuviller. Le Ban de la Roche was a place of emigration to America.
The Seigneurie included eight villages: Rothau (seigneurie-seat), Wildersbach, Neuviller (with the hamlets la Haute Goutte and Riangoutte), Waldersbach, Bellefosse, Belmont
, Fouday (with the hamlet Trouchy) and Solbach.
, founder of the city of Phalsbourg
. He bought le Ban de la Roche because of its mining possibilities as he was an industrialist besides being a Count
Palatine
.
There were many witchcraft
trials in the years 1620-1630.
Ban de la Roche was on the Amish
centre. There was an Amish farm ("cense" in the local way of speaking) called Sommerhof in La Haute Goutte.
From here, many migrants travelled to the United States
. The first known travelled to Pennsylvania
on ship Princess Augusta in 1736. The 19th century [migration]s were rather to Ohio
and Illinois
.
It was a land of pietism
and religious dissidence.
, where many Bandelarochians migrated.
Alsace
Alsace is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France, with ca. 220 inhabitants per km²...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Département du Bas-Rhin. This small region is referred by its old (Ancien-régime) name, because of its strong identity and it being relatively different from its neighbours (French-speaking: Welche
Welche
Welche is a Gallo-Romance dialect of Lorrain spoken in Bas-Rhin and Haut-Rhin in the western Alsace in France. The varieties of this dialect are the variety of Bruche, the variety of Villé, the variety of Lièpvre, the variety of Kaysersberg and the variety of Orbey...
) although in Alsace; Lutheran surrounded by Catholic villages. There was an Amish farm in the village of Neuviller. Le Ban de la Roche was a place of emigration to America.
Villages
Belmont
-Sport:* Belmont Stakes, a horse race* Belmont Bombers, a junior ice hockey team in Belmont, Ontario* Belmont Shore RFC, a rugby union team in Long Beach, California-Automobiles:* Belmont , an American electric car sold in 1916...
, Fouday (with the hamlet Trouchy) and Solbach.
History
One of the most important lords of Le Ban de la Roche was Georges-Jean de Veldenz (Georg Hans von Veldenz) (1543–1592), son-in-law of the King of SwedenSweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, founder of the city of Phalsbourg
Phalsbourg
Phalsbourg is a commune in the Moselle department in Lorraine in north-eastern France, with a population of about 5000.In 1911, it was a town of Germany, in the imperial province of Alsace-Lorraine, lying high on the west slopes of the Vosges, 25 miles north-west of Strasbourg by rail...
. He bought le Ban de la Roche because of its mining possibilities as he was an industrialist besides being a Count
Count
A count or countess is an aristocratic nobleman in European countries. The word count came into English from the French comte, itself from Latin comes—in its accusative comitem—meaning "companion", and later "companion of the emperor, delegate of the emperor". The adjective form of the word is...
Palatine
Palatine
A palatine or palatinus is a high-level official attached to imperial or royal courts in Europe since Roman times...
.
There were many witchcraft
Witchcraft
Witchcraft, in historical, anthropological, religious, and mythological contexts, is the alleged use of supernatural or magical powers. A witch is a practitioner of witchcraft...
trials in the years 1620-1630.
Ban de la Roche was on the Amish
Amish
The Amish , sometimes referred to as Amish Mennonites, are a group of Christian church fellowships that form a subgroup of the Mennonite churches...
centre. There was an Amish farm ("cense" in the local way of speaking) called Sommerhof in La Haute Goutte.
From here, many migrants travelled to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The first known travelled to Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
on ship Princess Augusta in 1736. The 19th century [migration]s were rather to Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
and Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
.
It was a land of pietism
Pietism
Pietism was a movement within Lutheranism, lasting from the late 17th century to the mid-18th century and later. It proved to be very influential throughout Protestantism and Anabaptism, inspiring not only Anglican priest John Wesley to begin the Methodist movement, but also Alexander Mack to...
and religious dissidence.
Notable people
- It is also the land of the famous minister and philanthropist J. F. Oberlin, whose parishParishA parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
was Waldersbach. - Frédérique Brion, who had a love affair with Goethe, briefly lived in Rothau
- Gustave BrionGustave BrionGustave Brion was born at Rothau in the department of Bas-Rhin in 1824, and in 1841 entered at Strasbourg the studio of Gabriel Guérin, with whom he remained three years; he also received tuition from Andreas Friedrich, the sculptor; but he soon afterwards went to Paris, where his first work...
was a painter ; he illustrated Victor HugoVictor HugoVictor-Marie Hugo was a Frenchpoet, playwright, novelist, essayist, visual artist, statesman, human rights activist and exponent of the Romantic movement in France....
's masterpieces Les MiserablesLes MisérablesLes Misérables , translated variously from the French as The Miserable Ones, The Wretched, The Poor Ones, The Wretched Poor, or The Victims), is an 1862 French novel by author Victor Hugo and is widely considered one of the greatest novels of the nineteenth century...
and Notre-Dame de Paris - Philippe-Frédéric de Dietrich, Count of Le Ban de la Roche, Maire of Strasbourg, an industrialist, a scientistScientistA scientist in a broad sense is one engaging in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge. In a more restricted sense, a scientist is an individual who uses the scientific method. The person may be an expert in one or more areas of science. This article focuses on the more restricted use of the word...
and a man of the Lumières, a friend of La Fayette; La MarseillaiseLa Marseillaise"La Marseillaise" is the national anthem of France. The song, originally titled "Chant de guerre pour l'Armée du Rhin" was written and composed by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle in 1792. The French National Convention adopted it as the Republic's anthem in 1795...
, the French national hymn, was at first sung in his parlour in Strasbourg; he was guillotineGuillotineThe guillotine is a device used for carrying out :executions by decapitation. It consists of a tall upright frame from which an angled blade is suspended. This blade is raised with a rope and then allowed to drop, severing the head from the body...
d.
Twin city in Iowa
Le Ban de la Roche is twinned with Woolstock in IowaIowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
, where many Bandelarochians migrated.
External links
- An English language site about Princess Augusta
- Amish places in the neighbourhood, with many photos of farms and cemeteries.