Guebwiller
Encyclopedia
Guebwiller is a commune
in the Haut-Rhin
department in Alsace
in north-eastern France
.
It is situated 20 km (12.4 mi) northwest of Mulhouse
at the foot of the Vosges mountains
. The Ballon de Guebwiller, the highest point in the Vosges, lies 8 km (5 mi) to the west of the town.
In 2006, Guebwiller had a total population of 11,609 and its metropolitan area a population of 31,868.
and Nobel laureate Alfred Kastler
; of the Schlumberger brothers
; of the ceramic
ist Théodore Deck
; of Nicholas Niklaus Riggenbach
, engineer, builder of steam locomotives and rack railways like the Vitznau
-Rigi-Bahnen
in the Swiss Alps
; and of composer Jean-Baptiste Weckerlin
.
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 situated 20 km (12.4 mi) northwest of Mulhouse
Mulhouse
Mulhouse |mill]] hamlet) is a city and commune in eastern France, close to the Swiss and German borders. With a population of 110,514 and 278,206 inhabitants in the metropolitan area in 2006, it is the largest city in the Haut-Rhin département, and the second largest in the Alsace region after...
at the foot of the Vosges mountains
Vosges mountains
For the department of France of the same name, see Vosges.The Vosges are a range of low mountains in eastern France, near its border with Germany. They extend along the west side of the Rhine valley in a northnortheast direction, mainly from Belfort to Saverne...
. The Ballon de Guebwiller, the highest point in the Vosges, lies 8 km (5 mi) to the west of the town.
In 2006, Guebwiller had a total population of 11,609 and its metropolitan area a population of 31,868.
People
Guebwiller was the birthplace of the physicistPhysicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
and Nobel laureate Alfred Kastler
Alfred Kastler
Alfred Kastler was a French physicist, and Nobel Prize laureate.Kastler was born in Guebwiller and later attended the Lycée Bartholdi in Colmar, Alsace, and École Normale Supérieure in Paris in 1921...
; of the Schlumberger brothers
Schlumberger brothers
Conrad Schlumberger and Marcel Schlumberger were brothers from the Alsace region in France...
; of the ceramic
Ceramic
A ceramic is an inorganic, nonmetallic solid prepared by the action of heat and subsequent cooling. Ceramic materials may have a crystalline or partly crystalline structure, or may be amorphous...
ist Théodore Deck
Théodore Deck
Joseph-Théodore Deck was a 19th-century French potter. Born in Guebwiller, Haut-Rhin, he began learning the trade in his early 20s, moving to Paris at age 24. In 1856 he established his own faience workshop, and began to experiment with the Islamic style of ceramic making, and in particular the...
; of Nicholas Niklaus Riggenbach
Niklaus Riggenbach
Niklaus Riggenbach was the inventor of the Riggenbach rack system and the counter-pressure brake. He was also an engineer and locomotive builder....
, engineer, builder of steam locomotives and rack railways like the Vitznau
Vitznau
Vitznau is a municipality in the district of Lucerne in the canton of Lucerne in Switzerland.-History:Vitznau was first mentioned in 998. In the 19th century it became a popular destination for tourism, especially from England; the imposing Park Hotel Vitznau west of town dates from the...
-Rigi-Bahnen
Rigi-Bahnen
Rigi Railways is a group of railways on Mount Rigi, located between two of the arms of Lake Lucerne, in Switzerland. They include two standard gauge rack railways, the Vitznau-Rigi Bahn and the Arth-Rigi Bahn , along with the Luftseilbahn Weggis-Rigi Kaltbad cable car.-Vitznau – Rigi Railway...
in the Swiss Alps
Swiss Alps
The Swiss Alps are the portion of the Alps mountain range that lies within Switzerland. Because of their central position within the entire Alpine range, they are also known as the Central Alps....
; and of composer Jean-Baptiste Weckerlin
Jean-Baptiste Weckerlin
Jean-Baptiste Théodore Weckerlin or Wekerlin was an Alsatian French composer and music publisher.-Biography:...
.
Points of interest
- RomanesqueRomanesque architectureRomanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
and early gothicGothic architectureGothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
church Église Saint-Léger - Gothic former DominicanDominican OrderThe Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
abbeyAbbeyAn abbey is a Catholic monastery or convent, under the authority of an Abbot or an Abbess, who serves as the spiritual father or mother of the community.The term can also refer to an establishment which has long ceased to function as an abbey,...
Les Dominicains, now used as a cultural center. - Early RenaissanceRenaissance architectureRenaissance architecture is the architecture of the period between the early 15th and early 17th centuries in different regions of Europe, demonstrating a conscious revival and development of certain elements of ancient Greek and Roman thought and material culture. Stylistically, Renaissance...
townhall ( Hôtel de ville) - NeoclassicalNeoclassicismNeoclassicism is the name given to Western movements in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that draw inspiration from the "classical" art and culture of Ancient Greece or Ancient Rome...
church Église Notre-Dame, largest neoclassical church in Alsace - Musée Théodore Deck et des pays du Florival, largest museum in Haut-RhinHaut-RhinHaut-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...
outside Colmar and Mulhouse - Parc de la MarseillaiseParc de la MarseillaiseThe Parc de la Marseillaise is a public arboretum and botantical garden in the center of the town of Guebwiller, in the department of Haut-Rhin, in the Alsace Region of France...
External links
- Official website
- Homepage of the Musée du Florival
- Wikipedia page for Église Notre Dame
- The Florivaliens homepage