Huningue
Encyclopedia
Huningue is a commune
in the Haut-Rhin
department of Alsace
in north-eastern France
. Huningue is a northern suburb of the Swiss city of Basel
. It also borders Germany (Weil am Rhein
, a suburb of Basel
located in Germany
). In 2008 it had a population of 6503 people. The main square of the town is the Place Abbatucci, named after the Corsican-born French general Jean Charles Abbatucci
who unsuccessfully defended it in 1796 against the Austrians and died here. Huningue is noted for its pisciculture and is a major producer of fish eggs,
Huningue was first mentioned in a document in 826. Huningue was wrested from the Holy Roman Empire
by the duke of Lauenburg in 1634 by the Treaty of Westphalia, and subsequently passed by purchase to Louis XIV
. Louis XIV ordered the construction of the Huningue Fortress and was fortified by Vauban
(1679–1681) and a bridge was built across the Rhine. Construction of the fortress require the displacement of the population on the island of Aoust and the surrounding area. In 1796 to 1797, Huningue was besieged by the Austrians. General Abbatucci held the fort for three months before being killed. In 1815, Napoleon's army resisted three months and a half against the Bavarians. Huningue was besieged for the third time in 1815 and General Barbanègre
headed a garrison of only 500 men against 25,000 Austrians. At its surrender to the Habsburg Empire on August 26 1815, the city was a ruin and was dismantled at the request of Basel.
The building of the Huningue channel in 1828 made the area more navigable (the entire channel system was completed in 1834); it provided water to the Rhone-Rhine canal. The Huningue canal is a feeder arm of this Rhone-Rhine Canal; it enters the river opposite the main dock basins.Only about a kilometre of the canal is still navigable, leading to the town of Kembs
.
In 1871, the town passed, with Alsace-Lorraine
, to the German Empire
. Alsace-Lorraine returned to France
after the First World War. It was evacuated in 1939, retaken by Germany
in 1940 with some 60% of the town destroyed during World War II, and finally returned to France once again in 1945. In 2007, a bridge over the Rhine, linking Huningue wirh Weil am Rhein
, Germany was built.
.
companies have factories in Huningue, mainly Swiss firms such as Novartis
, Ciba, Clariant
, Hoffmann-La Roche
, Weleda
etc.
The Rhine port is managed by the Chamber of Commerce and the industry of Mulhouse
, which lies to the northwest of Huningue.
Since March 2007 Huningue is connected with Weil am Rhein
via an arch bridge
. With 248 meters of length it is the longest of its kind for pedestrians and cyclist. Because the bridge connects the two country France and Germany and is near Switzerland it is named the Three country bridge or Passerelle des Trois Pays in French.
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 of 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...
. Huningue is a northern suburb of the Swiss city of Basel
Basel
Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...
. It also borders Germany (Weil am Rhein
Weil am Rhein
Weil am Rhein is a German town and commune which is a suburb of the city of Basel in Switzerland. It is situated on the east bank of the River Rhine, and close to the point at which the Swiss, French and German borders meet. It is the most southwesterly town in Germany.-Geography:Weil am Rhein is...
, a suburb of Basel
Basel
Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...
located in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
). In 2008 it had a population of 6503 people. The main square of the town is the Place Abbatucci, named after the Corsican-born French general Jean Charles Abbatucci
Jean Charles Abbatucci
Jean Charles Abbatucci or Abatucci was a French general during the War of the First Coalition...
who unsuccessfully defended it in 1796 against the Austrians and died here. Huningue is noted for its pisciculture and is a major producer of fish eggs,
History
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
by the duke of Lauenburg in 1634 by the Treaty of Westphalia, and subsequently passed by purchase to Louis XIV
Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV , known as Louis the Great or the Sun King , was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre. His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, began at the age of four and lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days...
. Louis XIV ordered the construction of the Huningue Fortress and was fortified by Vauban
Vauban
Sébastien Le Prestre, Seigneur de Vauban and later Marquis de Vauban , commonly referred to as Vauban, was a Marshal of France and the foremost military engineer of his age, famed for his skill in both designing fortifications and breaking through them...
(1679–1681) and a bridge was built across the Rhine. Construction of the fortress require the displacement of the population on the island of Aoust and the surrounding area. In 1796 to 1797, Huningue was besieged by the Austrians. General Abbatucci held the fort for three months before being killed. In 1815, Napoleon's army resisted three months and a half against the Bavarians. Huningue was besieged for the third time in 1815 and General Barbanègre
Joseph Barbanègre
Joseph Barbanègre was a French General and a Baron of the First French Empire. He was entrenched in Huningue during the third siege of the city by the Habsburgs in 1815.-Biography:...
headed a garrison of only 500 men against 25,000 Austrians. At its surrender to the Habsburg Empire on August 26 1815, the city was a ruin and was dismantled at the request of Basel.
The building of the Huningue channel in 1828 made the area more navigable (the entire channel system was completed in 1834); it provided water to the Rhone-Rhine canal. The Huningue canal is a feeder arm of this Rhone-Rhine Canal; it enters the river opposite the main dock basins.Only about a kilometre of the canal is still navigable, leading to the town of Kembs
Kembs
Kembs is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.-References:*...
.
In 1871, the town passed, with Alsace-Lorraine
Alsace-Lorraine
The Imperial Territory of Alsace-Lorraine was a territory created by the German Empire in 1871 after it annexed most of Alsace and the Moselle region of Lorraine following its victory in the Franco-Prussian War. The Alsatian part lay in the Rhine Valley on the west bank of the Rhine River and east...
, to the German Empire
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
. Alsace-Lorraine returned to France
French Third Republic
The French Third Republic was the republican government of France from 1870, when the Second French Empire collapsed due to the French defeat in the Franco-Prussian War, to 1940, when France was overrun by Nazi Germany during World War II, resulting in the German and Italian occupations of France...
after the First World War. It was evacuated in 1939, retaken by Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
in 1940 with some 60% of the town destroyed during World War II, and finally returned to France once again in 1945. In 2007, a bridge over the Rhine, linking Huningue wirh Weil am Rhein
Weil am Rhein
Weil am Rhein is a German town and commune which is a suburb of the city of Basel in Switzerland. It is situated on the east bank of the River Rhine, and close to the point at which the Swiss, French and German borders meet. It is the most southwesterly town in Germany.-Geography:Weil am Rhein is...
, Germany was built.
Geography
Huningue is situated on the left bank of the Rhine, and is an ancient place which grew up around a stronghold placed to guard the passage of the river. It is a northern suburb of BaselBasel
Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...
.
Economy
Huningue is noted for its pisciculture and is a major producer of fish eggs. Several chemical, plastics and pharmaceuticalcompanies have factories in Huningue, mainly Swiss firms such as Novartis
Novartis
Novartis International AG is a multinational pharmaceutical company based in Basel, Switzerland, ranking number three in sales among the world-wide industry...
, Ciba, Clariant
Clariant
Clariant is a Swiss speciality chemical company which was formed in 1995 as a spin off from Sandoz.- Business :The company has a turnover of around US$8 billion and is headquartered in Muttenz, near Basel, Switzerland....
, Hoffmann-La Roche
Hoffmann-La Roche
F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. is a Swiss global health-care company that operates worldwide under two divisions: Pharmaceuticals and Diagnostics. Its holding company, Roche Holding AG, has shares listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange....
, Weleda
Weleda
Weleda is a multinational company that produces both natural beauty products and natural medicines. Both branches design their products based on anthroposophic principles. The company takes its name from the German form of the name of the 1st century Bructeri völva Veleda. They use plants grown...
etc.
The Rhine port is managed by the Chamber of Commerce and the industry 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...
, which lies to the northwest of Huningue.
Notable landmarks
Weil am Rhein
Weil am Rhein is a German town and commune which is a suburb of the city of Basel in Switzerland. It is situated on the east bank of the River Rhine, and close to the point at which the Swiss, French and German borders meet. It is the most southwesterly town in Germany.-Geography:Weil am Rhein is...
via an arch bridge
Arch bridge
An arch bridge is a bridge with abutments at each end shaped as a curved arch. Arch bridges work by transferring the weight of the bridge and its loads partially into a horizontal thrust restrained by the abutments at either side...
. With 248 meters of length it is the longest of its kind for pedestrians and cyclist. Because the bridge connects the two country France and Germany and is near Switzerland it is named the Three country bridge or Passerelle des Trois Pays in French.
- Musée historique et militaire : The military and historical museum evokes the military life of the ancient fortress of Vauban. The museum is housed in a former residence of the intendant of the place and commissary.
- L'ancienne église de garnison : the former garrison church was built according to plans of the engineer Jacques TaradeJacques TaradeJacques Tarade was a French engineer and colleague of Vauban. He built the Barrage Vauban in Strasbourg. One of that town's streets is named after him. He also designed the church in Huningue.- Literature :*...
; the church which dominates the Place Abattucci is now disused as a church. The building is, however, occaisonally host to concerts of chamber music. It also serves as a polling station during elections. Since 1938, the facades, the bell tower and the roof have been listed in the inventory of historical monuments.
- Parc des Eaux Vives and the Wheelhouse : a park with an artificial torrent, with kayaking, canoeing, and white water rafting.
- Le Triangle - The Triangle is a cultural complex covering 5540 square metres, divided into 21 activity rooms. Created by architect Jean-Marie Martini, it was inaugurated in February 2002. In addition to the many varied shows (dance, theater, music, circus arts, comedy), the Triangle also hosts exhibitions (sculpture, painting, writing) and a forum for the exchange of information and entertainment for the young . In addition, regular tea dances are organized, philosophy workshops and hearings of the Academy of Arts (music, dance, theater), conferences and meetings with artists.
Notable people
- Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban - architect of Louis XIVLouis XIV of FranceLouis XIV , known as Louis the Great or the Sun King , was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre. His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, began at the age of four and lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days...
, he directed the construction of the fortress of Huningue. - Jean-Charles Abbatucci - General of the Army of the Rhine. He lost his life due to his injuries during an event during the first siege of the city in 1796.
- Joseph BarbanègreJoseph BarbanègreJoseph Barbanègre was a French General and a Baron of the First French Empire. He was entrenched in Huningue during the third siege of the city by the Habsburgs in 1815.-Biography:...
- French General, entrenched in Huningue during the third siege of the city in 1815. - Armand Blanchard - French director, born in Huningue. He was mayor of MulhouseMulhouseMulhouse |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...
from 1825 to 1830. - Michel Ordener, Major General, born in Huningue on April 3, 1787. He was the son of General Michel OrdenerMichel OrdenerMichel Ordener was a general of division and a commander in Napoleon's elite Imperial Guard. Of plebeian origins, he was born 2 September 1755 in L'Hôpital and enlisted as private at the age of 18 years in the Prince Conde's Legion. He was promoted through the ranks; as warrant officer of a...
. - Johnny StarkJohnny Stark (talent manager)Johnny Stark was a French "imprésario" and producer, one of the most dynamic in show business in France...
: producer and imprésario (1922 in Huningue - 1989 in Paris)