La Wantzenau
Encyclopedia
La Wantzenau is a commune
in the Bas-Rhin
department in Alsace
in north-eastern France
.
. It is the last village along the Ill
river before it joins the Rhine a few kilometres downstream. The village limits touch the border with Germany
, although the closest bridge across the Rhine is in Gambsheim
, 10 km north of the village. It is one of the towns of greater Strasbourg (Communauté Urbaine de Strasbourg
or CUS). The centre of the town sits on the north side of the river. The neighbourhood of Le Woerthel on the south side of the river, and Le Golf in the fields north of the town were recently developed.
y. In fact the ending "au" in the name denotes in Alsatian
a town which is subject to seasonal flooding. The town was probably founded in the 8th century as a fishing outpost of Honau, a nearby monastery founded by Irish monks
on an island in the Rhine river. The name does not appear in any records until 1331 as "Wanzenowe". It was granted status as a parish
by the bishop-prince
of Strasbourg
in 1468. During the Thirty Years' War
, in the early 17th century, the town was completely wiped out by Swedish
troops. It was also badly damaged during both World Wars. There are many signs of the town's experience with war. La rue Zimmer is named for a soldier
who became a local hero fighting with General Leclerc
in World War II
, only to be killed in fighting near Strasbourg in 1944. The town is dotted with bunker
s and blockhouse
s from the Maginot Line
, especially in the La Wantzenau forest
. There is also a German-made bunker visible in the house on the corner of the rue Leh and the rue du Moulin.
Alsatian-style houses. The town has graded a promenade along the Ill river. It is connected to a network of bicycle lanes including the "Piste des Forts" which circles greater Strasbourg, and a path through the La Wantzenau forest through La Robertsau and into downtown Strasbourg. La Wantzenau is well-known in the region for the high number of fine restaurants including Le Relais de la Poste, Les Semailles and Le Moulin de la Wantzenau, the last vestiges of a now closed cooking school in the town. The town is twinned
with Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche
in Haute-Vienne
because the population of La Wantzenau was evacuated there at the start of the war with Germany in 1939.
La Wantzenau is a bedroom community
of Strasbourg. It combines the advantages of village life with individual houses while still being part of the CUS with train
and bus
transportation to the centre of Strasbourg. 73% of the working population works outside of the village.
The centre of the town has several commercial establishments including a grocery store
, two bakeries
and two tobacconist
s. There are also several public buildings including a post office
, the town hall, the Foyer Culturel, the Jean-Claude Klein sports complex, a football stadium
, two pre-schools
, a primary school, and a junior highschool.
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...
.
Location
The town is located 12 km northeast of StrasbourgStrasbourg
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,...
. It is the last village along the 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...
river before it joins the Rhine a few kilometres downstream. The village limits touch the border with 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...
, although the closest bridge across the Rhine is in Gambsheim
Gambsheim
Gambsheim is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.It is adjacent to a river crossing into Germany that is favoured by southbound autoroute traffic wishing to avoid traffic delays around Strasbourg...
, 10 km north of the village. It is one of the towns of greater Strasbourg (Communauté Urbaine de Strasbourg
Urban Community of Strasbourg
The Urban Community of Strasbourg , also known by its French initials CUS, is the intercommunal structure gathering the city of Strasbourg and some of its suburbs....
or CUS). The centre of the town sits on the north side of the river. The neighbourhood of Le Woerthel on the south side of the river, and Le Golf in the fields north of the town were recently developed.
History
The terrain around the village is very flat and marshMarsh
In geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of wetland that is subject to frequent or continuous flood. Typically the water is shallow and features grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, other herbaceous plants, and moss....
y. In fact the ending "au" in the name denotes in 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:...
a town which is subject to seasonal flooding. The town was probably founded in the 8th century as a fishing outpost of Honau, a nearby monastery founded by Irish monks
Hiberno-Scottish mission
The Hiberno-Scottish mission was a mission led by Irish and Scottish monks which spread Christianity and established monasteries in Great Britain and continental Europe during the Middle Ages...
on an island in the Rhine river. The name does not appear in any records until 1331 as "Wanzenowe". It was granted status as a parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
by the bishop-prince
Prince-Bishop
A Prince-Bishop is a bishop who is a territorial Prince of the Church on account of one or more secular principalities, usually pre-existent titles of nobility held concurrently with their inherent clerical office...
of Strasbourg
Archbishopric of Strasbourg
- External links :* *...
in 1468. 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....
, in the early 17th century, the town was completely wiped out by Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
troops. It was also badly damaged during both World Wars. There are many signs of the town's experience with war. La rue Zimmer is named for a soldier
Soldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
who became a local hero fighting with General Leclerc
Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque
Philippe François Marie, comte de Hauteclocque, then Leclerc de Hauteclocque, by a 1945 decree that incorporated his French Resistance alias Jacques-Philippe Leclerc to his name, , was a French general during World War II...
in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, only to be killed in fighting near Strasbourg in 1944. The town is dotted with bunker
Bunker
A military bunker is a hardened shelter, often buried partly or fully underground, designed to protect the inhabitants from falling bombs or other attacks...
s and blockhouse
Blockhouse
In military science, a blockhouse is a small, isolated fort in the form of a single building. It serves as a defensive strong point against any enemy that does not possess siege equipment or, in modern times, artillery...
s from the Maginot Line
Maginot Line
The Maginot Line , named after the French Minister of War André Maginot, was a line of concrete fortifications, tank obstacles, artillery casemates, machine gun posts, and other defences, which France constructed along its borders with Germany and Italy, in light of its experience in World War I,...
, especially in the La Wantzenau forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
. There is also a German-made bunker visible in the house on the corner of the rue Leh and the rue du Moulin.
Today
Today, the town has preserved many 18th century half-timberedTimber framing
Timber framing , or half-timbering, also called in North America "post-and-beam" construction, is the method of creating structures using heavy squared off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden pegs . It is commonplace in large barns...
Alsatian-style houses. The town has graded a promenade along the Ill river. It is connected to a network of bicycle lanes including the "Piste des Forts" which circles greater Strasbourg, and a path through the La Wantzenau forest through La Robertsau and into downtown Strasbourg. La Wantzenau is well-known in the region for the high number of fine restaurants including Le Relais de la Poste, Les Semailles and Le Moulin de la Wantzenau, the last vestiges of a now closed cooking school in the town. The town is twinned
Town twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche
Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche
Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche is a commune in the Haute-Vienne department in the Limousin region in west-central France.Its name refers to Saint Yrieix .Inhabitants are known as Arédiens.-References:*...
in Haute-Vienne
Haute-Vienne
Haute-Vienne is a French department named after the Vienne River. It is one of three departments that together constitute the French region of Limousin.The chief and largest city is Limoges...
because the population of La Wantzenau was evacuated there at the start of the war with Germany in 1939.
La Wantzenau is a bedroom community
Commuter town
A commuter town is an urban community that is primarily residential, from which most of the workforce commutes out to earn their livelihood. Many commuter towns act as suburbs of a nearby metropolis that workers travel to daily, and many suburbs are commuter towns...
of Strasbourg. It combines the advantages of village life with individual houses while still being part of the CUS with train
Train
A train is a connected series of vehicles for rail transport that move along a track to transport cargo or passengers from one place to another place. The track usually consists of two rails, but might also be a monorail or maglev guideway.Propulsion for the train is provided by a separate...
and bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
transportation to the centre of Strasbourg. 73% of the working population works outside of the village.
The centre of the town has several commercial establishments including a grocery store
Grocery store
A grocery store is a store that retails food. A grocer, the owner of a grocery store, stocks different kinds of foods from assorted places and cultures, and sells these "groceries" to customers. Large grocery stores that stock products other than food, such as clothing or household items, are...
, two bakeries
Bakery
A bakery is an establishment which produces and sells flour-based food baked in an oven such as bread, cakes, pastries and pies. Some retail bakeries are also cafés, serving coffee and tea to customers who wish to consume the baked goods on the premises.-See also:*Baker*Cake...
and two tobacconist
Tobacconist
A tobacconist is an expert dealer in tobacco in various forms and the related accoutrements .Such accoutrements include pipes, lighters, matches, pipe cleaners, pipe tampers, ashtrays, humidification devices, hygrometers, humidors, cigar cutters, and more. Books and magazines, especially ones...
s. There are also several public buildings including a post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
, the town hall, the Foyer Culturel, the Jean-Claude Klein sports complex, a football stadium
Stadium
A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...
, two pre-schools
Preschool education
Preschool education is the provision of learning to children before the commencement of statutory and obligatory education, usually between the ages of zero and three or five, depending on the jurisdiction....
, a primary school, and a junior highschool.
Demographics
(source: Town of La Wantzenau website)- Population (1999 census): 5462
- Population (1990 census): 4394