Hegeney
Encyclopedia
Hegeney is a commune
in the Bas-Rhin
department in Alsace
in north-eastern France
.
approximately halfway to Wœrth
along the departmental road RD27. The landscape is of gently rolling hills, with the topography becoming more uneven towards the Vosges Mountains
some twenty kilometres (twelve miles) to the west, and the land becoming eventually a little flatter towards the River Rhine some twenty kilometres (twelve miles) to the east. To the south and south-west Hégeney is bordered by the little River Eberbach, a tributary of the Sauer
.
axe, weighing half a kilogramme (one pound). Found at the edge of the commune, it is now on display at a museum in Haguenau
. Coins and other artefacts from the second and third centuries have also been found at the adjacent hamlet known as Wasserrut, beside the known route of a Roman age road that connected Morsbronn
with Laubach
.
The Abbey of Wissembourg
, founded around 660, enjoyed the support of the Merovingian kings
and received grants of land from a number of districts. In 742 it is recorded that Duke Liutfrid of Alsace
donated to the abbey four farms at Heconheim (modern Hégeney). In 786 the site appears under the patronage of Aginoni Villa (the farm of Aginon)
In 1280, with the establishment of the Imperial Bailiwick of Haguenau, the settlement of Heckenheim, which found itself within the Imperial Bailiwick, gained the rights and privileges of an imperially dependent village, together with the neighbouring village of Eschbach
in the provostship of Forstheim
.
There is a record of the town of Haguenau
having confiscated the villagers' horses and cattle
on Friday, 11 August 1368.
During the Thirty Years' War
, the village was torched by Swedish troops
. After the end of the war, the French state progressively tightened its control over the Imperial Bailiwick. In due course the lands were granted in fief to the Duke of Mazarin (not to be confused with Cardinal Mazarin whose niece the duke had married). The royal village of Hégeney thereafter belonged to the duke's heirs right up till the end of the ancien regime
.
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 Bas-Rhin
Bas-Rhin
Bas-Rhin is a department of France. The name means "Lower Rhine". It is the more populous and densely populated of the two departments of the Alsace region, with 1,079,013 inhabitants in 2006.- History :...
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...
.
Geography
Hégeney is positioned to the north of HaguenauHaguenau
-Economy:The town has a well balanced economy. Centuries of troubled history in the buffer lands between France and Germany have bequeathed to Haguenau a rich historical and cultural heritage which supports a lively tourist trade. There is also a thriving light manufacturing sector centred on the...
approximately halfway to Wœrth
Wœrth
Wœrth or Woerth is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.It lies north of Strasbourg. Wœrth is known for the Battle of Wœrth, in the initial stage of the Franco-Prussian War in August 1870.-References:*...
along the departmental road RD27. The landscape is of gently rolling hills, with the topography becoming more uneven towards 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...
some twenty kilometres (twelve miles) to the west, and the land becoming eventually a little flatter towards the River Rhine some twenty kilometres (twelve miles) to the east. To the south and south-west Hégeney is bordered by the little River Eberbach, a tributary of the Sauer
Sauer (France)
The Sauer is a river in France and Germany . A left tributary of the river Rhine, its total length is about 70 km. Its upper course, in Germany, is called Saarbach. Its source is in the Palatinate forest, near the French border, south of Pirmasens. It flows into France near Schœnau, and continues...
.
History
The earliest archaeological find here is a large Bronze AgeBronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
axe, weighing half a kilogramme (one pound). Found at the edge of the commune, it is now on display at a museum in Haguenau
Haguenau
-Economy:The town has a well balanced economy. Centuries of troubled history in the buffer lands between France and Germany have bequeathed to Haguenau a rich historical and cultural heritage which supports a lively tourist trade. There is also a thriving light manufacturing sector centred on the...
. Coins and other artefacts from the second and third centuries have also been found at the adjacent hamlet known as Wasserrut, beside the known route of a Roman age road that connected Morsbronn
Morsbronn-les-Bains
Morsbronn-les-Bains is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.-References:*...
with Laubach
Laubach, Bas-Rhin
Laubach is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France. It lies 10 kilometres northwest of Haguenau.-References:*...
.
The Abbey of Wissembourg
Wissembourg
Wissembourg is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace in northeastern France.It is situated on the little River Lauter close to the border between France and Germany approximately north of Strasbourg and west of Karlsruhe. Wissembourg is a sub-prefecture of the department...
, founded around 660, enjoyed the support of the Merovingian kings
Merovingian dynasty
The Merovingians were a Salian Frankish dynasty that came to rule the Franks in a region largely corresponding to ancient Gaul from the middle of the 5th century. Their politics involved frequent civil warfare among branches of the family...
and received grants of land from a number of districts. In 742 it is recorded that Duke Liutfrid of Alsace
Liutfrid, Duke of Alsace
Liutfrid, Leodefred, Leudefred, or Leudefrid was the Duke of Alsace, the third in a line of Etichonid dukes dating back to circa 670. He succeeded his father Adalbert in 723....
donated to the abbey four farms at Heconheim (modern Hégeney). In 786 the site appears under the patronage of Aginoni Villa (the farm of Aginon)
In 1280, with the establishment of the Imperial Bailiwick of Haguenau, the settlement of Heckenheim, which found itself within the Imperial Bailiwick, gained the rights and privileges of an imperially dependent village, together with the neighbouring village of Eschbach
Eschbach
Eschbach may refer to:*Andreas Eschbach, a German writer*Joseph W. Eschbach, kidney specialist whose research led to the treatment of anemia.*places in France:**Eschbach, Bas-Rhin, in the department Bas-Rhin**Eschbach-au-Val, in the department Haut-Rhin...
in the provostship of Forstheim
Forstheim
Forstheim is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.To the south and southwest the village is flanked by a wood. Otherwise, Forstheim is surrounded by arable farmland....
.
There is a record of the town of Haguenau
Haguenau
-Economy:The town has a well balanced economy. Centuries of troubled history in the buffer lands between France and Germany have bequeathed to Haguenau a rich historical and cultural heritage which supports a lively tourist trade. There is also a thriving light manufacturing sector centred on the...
having confiscated the villagers' horses and cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
on Friday, 11 August 1368.
During 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....
, the village was torched by Swedish troops
Swedish Army
The Swedish Army is one of the oldest standing armies in the world and a branch of the Swedish Armed Forces; it is in charge of land operations. General Sverker Göranson is the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Army.- Organization :...
. After the end of the war, the French state progressively tightened its control over the Imperial Bailiwick. In due course the lands were granted in fief to the Duke of Mazarin (not to be confused with Cardinal Mazarin whose niece the duke had married). The royal village of Hégeney thereafter belonged to the duke's heirs right up till the end of the ancien regime
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...
.
Landmarks
- The church of Saint MargaretMargaret the VirginMargaret the Virgin, also known as Margaret of Antioch , virgin and martyr, is celebrated as a saint by the Roman Catholic and Anglican Churches on July 20; and on July 17 in the Orthodox Church. Her historical existence has been questioned; she was declared apocryphal by Pope Gelasius I in 494,...
dates from 1769. The organ casing is the work of Messrs Moeller, organ builders of OberbronnOberbronnOberbronn is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.-References:*...
. The windows date from 1949 and were among the first works of master craftsman Tristan Ruhlmann.
- The public fountain in the village square was originally soured using a 350 meter channel of hollowed out tree trunks running beside the street.
- the 'Lion Head' sculpture found at the edge of the Roman period road, thought originally to have come from the old Villa Aginoni, has been incorporated into the wall of a stone barn at Rue du Verger No. 8.