Dannemarie, Haut-Rhin
Encyclopedia
Dannemarie is a commune
in the Haut-Rhin
department in Alsace
in north-eastern France
. It is the principal town in the canton
of the same name and the seat of the Communauté de communes de la Porte d'Alsace.
between the towns of Mülhausen (approximately 27 km north) and Belfort
(approximately 23 km west) and lies on the river Largue, a tributary
of the Ill (a river which flows into the Rhein). It can be reached via the Routes départementales D-103 (Thann-Delle) and D-419 (Belfort-Altkirch-Basel).
region. Until the end of the Thirty Years' War
in 1648 it was ruled over by the House of Habsburg before falling under the jurisdiction of Cardinal Mazarin.
After the French Revolution
it became part of the Belfort
district. In 1870 Altkirch
became attached to this administrative framework. Today it is part of the Haut-Rhin
department.
In August 1914, during the First World War, French troops moved in during the fighting on the approaching Western Front
and it became the military headquarters.
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the Haut-Rhin
Haut-Rhin
Haut-Rhin is a département of the Alsace region of France, named after the Rhine river. Its name means Upper Rhine. Haut-Rhin is the smaller and less populated of the two departements of Alsace, although is still densely populated compared to the rest of France.-Subdivisions:The department...
department in Alsace
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...
in north-eastern 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...
. It is the principal town in the canton
Cantons of France
The cantons of France are territorial subdivisions of the French Republic's 342 arrondissements and 101 departments.Apart from their role as organizational units in certain aspects of the administration of public services and justice, the chief purpose of the cantons today is to serve as...
of the same name and the seat of the Communauté de communes de la Porte d'Alsace.
Geography
The town is situated in SundgauSundgau
Sundgau is a geographical territory on the eastern edge of France that was once a principality of the Holy Roman Empire. The name Sundgau derives from Alemannic German, which means "South County" ....
between the towns of Mülhausen (approximately 27 km north) and Belfort
Belfort
Belfort is a commune in the Territoire de Belfort department in Franche-Comté in northeastern France and is the prefecture of the department. It is located on the Savoureuse, on the strategically important natural route between the Rhine and the Rhône – the Belfort Gap or Burgundian Gate .-...
(approximately 23 km west) and lies on the river Largue, a tributary
Tributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
of the Ill (a river which flows into the Rhein). It can be reached via the Routes départementales D-103 (Thann-Delle) and D-419 (Belfort-Altkirch-Basel).
History
In 1016 the town is mentioned as Danamarachiricha meaning "Church of the Lady Mary". Throughout history the name changed several times and took on some French and German forms. The name in the local German language was Dammerskirch. From the thirteenth century until 1324 it was part of the FerretteFerrette
Ferrette is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.It is situated close to the Swiss border. Its main attraction is the Château de Ferrette.-County of Ferrette:...
region. Until the end of the Thirty Years' War
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
in 1648 it was ruled over by the House of Habsburg before falling under the jurisdiction of Cardinal Mazarin.
After the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
it became part of the Belfort
Belfort
Belfort is a commune in the Territoire de Belfort department in Franche-Comté in northeastern France and is the prefecture of the department. It is located on the Savoureuse, on the strategically important natural route between the Rhine and the Rhône – the Belfort Gap or Burgundian Gate .-...
district. In 1870 Altkirch
Altkirch
-See also:* Château d'Altkirch - destroyed castle in the town.* Communes of the Haut-Rhin department-References:* -External links :* * * * * * * *...
became attached to this administrative framework. Today it is part of the Haut-Rhin
Haut-Rhin
Haut-Rhin is a département of the Alsace region of France, named after the Rhine river. Its name means Upper Rhine. Haut-Rhin is the smaller and less populated of the two departements of Alsace, although is still densely populated compared to the rest of France.-Subdivisions:The department...
department.
In August 1914, during the First World War, French troops moved in during the fighting on the approaching Western Front
Western Front (World War I)
Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...
and it became the military headquarters.
Historic Sites
- The railway viaduct on the BelfortBelfortBelfort is a commune in the Territoire de Belfort department in Franche-Comté in northeastern France and is the prefecture of the department. It is located on the Savoureuse, on the strategically important natural route between the Rhine and the Rhône – the Belfort Gap or Burgundian Gate .-...
-Mülhausen line is a 493m long stone arched bridge over the Largue. It was built in 1862 and has since been rebuilt and destroyed four times, in 1870, 1914, 1915 and 1944. - One of the most impressive buildings in the town is the town hall or Hôtel de Ville.
Famous residents
- Peter von HagenbachPeter von HagenbachPeter von Hagenbach was a Bourguignon knight from Alsace and Germanic military and civil commander....
(c1420-1474), Burgundian Landvogt. - Eugène RicklinEugène Ricklin- Biography :Eugène Ricklin was born in Dannemarie from a sundgauvian hotelier father and an Alsatian mother, Catherine Kayser. After his secondary education in a school in Belfort, he frequented the colleges of Altkirch and Colmar...
(1862–1935), an Alsatian politician was born in Dannemarie. - Leo Justinus Kauffmann (1901–1944), composer, was born in Dannemarie.
- Monique WittigMonique WittigMonique Wittig was a French author and feminist theorist who wrote about overcoming socially enforced gender roles and who coined the phrase "heterosexual contract". She published her first novel, L'Opoponax, in 1964...
(1935–2003), author and feminist theorist, was born in Dannemarie.