Huttenheim
Encyclopedia
Huttenheim is a commune
in the Bas-Rhin
department in Alsace
in north-eastern France
.
Positioned to the south-west of Benfeld
, not far from the Roman era road known as the Road of the Heathens ("route des païens" / "S'Heidestressel"), the village was included in the property of the feudal lordship of Eticho
, and was bequeathed in 667 to the Abbey of Ebersmunster. With the arrival of missionary friars from the north, dedicated, for the next three centuries, to the Christianisation of the region, the village walls were transformed and a new mentality seized the entire region. The villagers were early adopters of the Christian religion
. Hardworking and combative, people mostly lived by fishing and by hunting: fish and game were abundant in the region. They lived in huts on the banks of the River Ill
: the surrounding fields would have been criss-crossed by meandering streams.
Over the centuries, the name of the village changed as the local dialects evolved. Around 728 it was Hittenheim which had become Hudenheim by 770 and Hivatinquhaim in 798. In 884 it is written as Hindingheim, in 959 Hitingheim and in 1039 Hutenheim. The name Hittenheim was used in 1174 and Huttenheim ("Hettne" in the local version of Alsatian
) first appears in 1560.
, some thirty kilometres (19 miles) south of Strasbourg
and forty kilometres (25 miles) north-north-east of Colmar
. Selestat
and Obernai are each some fifteen kilometres (9 miles) distant while to the east the Rhinau
ferry crossing into Germany
is some ten kilometres (6 miles) away.
The district is known as the reed country, on account of the reeds that grew in the surrounding marshland. In recent centuries the Rhine has been channelled which along with agriculturally driven drainage projects has made the land less marshy and more cultivable. The water table
, though lower than in Roman times, remains unusually close to the surface, however.
Huttenheim is administratively linked with the neighbouring commune of Benfeld
.
Although the Rhine is some distance to the east, Huttenheim is positioned right on the eastern bank of the River Ill
a major river originating in the Jura region
and which is thought to have given Alsace/Elsaß
its name: the Ill here flows from south to north, approximately parallel with the Rhine, before the two rivers fully connect at Strasbourg
. Because of the historically marshy nature of the landscape there are, following drainage of the region, numerous other water courses in the area.
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...
.
History
The village can trace its recorded history back to the seventh century.Positioned to the south-west of Benfeld
Benfeld
Benfeld is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.The handsome 1846 synagogue survived the Nazi occupation.-References:*...
, not far from the Roman era road known as the Road of the Heathens ("route des païens" / "S'Heidestressel"), the village was included in the property of the feudal lordship of Eticho
Etichonids
The Etichonids were an important noble family, probably of Frankish , Burgundian or Visigothic origin, who rose to dominate the region of Alsace in the Early Middle Ages from the seventh to the tenth centuries....
, and was bequeathed in 667 to the Abbey of Ebersmunster. With the arrival of missionary friars from the north, dedicated, for the next three centuries, to the Christianisation of the region, the village walls were transformed and a new mentality seized the entire region. The villagers were early adopters of the Christian religion
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
. Hardworking and combative, people mostly lived by fishing and by hunting: fish and game were abundant in the region. They lived in huts on the banks of the River Ill
Ill (France)
The Ill is a river in Alsace, in north-eastern France. It is a left-side, or western tributary of the Rhine.It starts down from its source near the village of Winkel, in the Jura mountains, with a resurgence near Ligsdorf, turns around Ferrette on its east side, and then runs northward through...
: the surrounding fields would have been criss-crossed by meandering streams.
Over the centuries, the name of the village changed as the local dialects evolved. Around 728 it was Hittenheim which had become Hudenheim by 770 and Hivatinquhaim in 798. In 884 it is written as Hindingheim, in 959 Hitingheim and in 1039 Hutenheim. The name Hittenheim was used in 1174 and Huttenheim ("Hettne" in the local version of Alsatian
Alsatian language
Alsatian is a Low Alemannic German dialect spoken in most of Alsace, a region in eastern France which has passed between French and German control many times.-Language family:...
) first appears in 1560.
Geography
Huttenheim is located on the eastern side of central AlsaceAlsace
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...
, some thirty kilometres (19 miles) south of Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
and forty kilometres (25 miles) north-north-east of Colmar
Colmar
Colmar is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.It is the capital of the department. Colmar is also the seat of the highest jurisdiction in Alsace, the appellate court....
. Selestat
Sélestat
Sélestat is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.In 2006, Sélestat had a total population of 19,459. The Communauté de communes de Sélestat et environs had a total population of 35,397.-Geography:...
and Obernai are each some fifteen kilometres (9 miles) distant while to the east the Rhinau
Rhinau
Rhinau is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.After a flood in 1541, 58% of its territory happen to be on the right bank of the Rhine river, in Germany. However the German part of Rhinau is not inhabited, it is a natural reserve, the Taubergiessen. A ferryboat...
ferry crossing into 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...
is some ten kilometres (6 miles) away.
Water table
The water table is the level at which the submarine pressure is far from atmospheric pressure. It may be conveniently visualized as the 'surface' of the subsurface materials that are saturated with groundwater in a given vicinity. However, saturated conditions may extend above the water table as...
, though lower than in Roman times, remains unusually close to the surface, however.
Huttenheim is administratively linked with the neighbouring commune of Benfeld
Benfeld
Benfeld is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.The handsome 1846 synagogue survived the Nazi occupation.-References:*...
.
Although the Rhine is some distance to the east, Huttenheim is positioned right on the eastern bank of the River Ill
Ill (France)
The Ill is a river in Alsace, in north-eastern France. It is a left-side, or western tributary of the Rhine.It starts down from its source near the village of Winkel, in the Jura mountains, with a resurgence near Ligsdorf, turns around Ferrette on its east side, and then runs northward through...
a major river originating in the Jura region
Winkel, Haut-Rhin
Winkel is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.The village is known in Alsace as the Ill river takes its source. Its inhabitants are called Winkelois and Winkeloises.-References:*...
and which is thought to have given Alsace/Elsaß
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...
its name: the Ill here flows from south to north, approximately parallel with the Rhine, before the two rivers fully connect at Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
. Because of the historically marshy nature of the landscape there are, following drainage of the region, numerous other water courses in the area.
Demographics
- 1851 : 2186
- 1900 : 2017
- 1936 : 1752
- 1982 : 1974
- 1990 : 1999
- 1999 : 2094
- 2006 : 2509
People
- Paul RohmerPaul RohmerPaul Rohmer was an Alsacian physician considered the father of modern pædiatrics in eastern France after World War I.-Life:...
, (1876–1977), famous French physician, was born at Huttenheim. - Albert Rohmer (1913–2006), pediatrician and resistance hero was also born at Huttenheim.