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Kirchheim Keriche | |
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 The town hall in Kirchheim | |
.svg) Coat of arms | |
 Location of Kirchheim | |
  Kirchheim  Kirchheim | |
| Coordinates:48°36′37″N7°29′48″E / 48.6103°N 7.4967°E /48.6103; 7.4967 | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Grand Est |
| Department | Bas-Rhin |
| Arrondissement | Molsheim |
| Canton | Molsheim |
| Intercommunality | CC de la Mossig et du Vignoble |
| Government | |
| • Mayor(2020–2026) | Patrick Deck[1] |
Area 1 | 2.30 km2 (0.89 sq mi) |
| Population (2022)[2] | 697 |
| • Density | 303/km2 (785/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 67240 /67520 |
| Elevation | 175–237 m (574–778 ft) |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
Kirchheim (French pronunciation:[kiʁʃaim];Alsatian:Keriche) is acommune in theBas-Rhindepartment andGrand Estregion of northeasternFrance.[3]
Kirchheim lies on the western edge of theAlsace plain where it meets the first foothills of theVosges Mountains, 19 km west ofStrasbourg, 18 km southeast ofSaverne, and 8 km north ofMolsheim. Adjacent communes areMarlenheim to the north,Odratzheim andScharrachbergheim-Irmstett to the south, andWangen to the northwest.
The village is within easy walking distance of the main road connecting Saverne to Strasbourg. The former railway line from Molsheim has been developed into a cycle path traversing the commune. Bus services link Kirchheim to Strasbourg (route 207) and Molsheim (route 212), both starting fromWasselonne, a short distance to the northwest.
The commune's eastern boundary is provided by the small River Mossig, a tributary of theBruche, flowing from north to south. The ecosystem includes ariparian zone which provides a biological corridor for wildlife. Resident species include the endangeredGreat Hamster of Alsace.
Most of the surrounding land is either ploughland or laid to grass, although there arevineyards to the southeast and, to a limited extent, the northwest.
Apackaging company provides two-thirds of the jobs in the village. Several other firms provide a relatively small number of jobs. In the early twenty-first century, there were 80 employed positions in the commune.
The agricultural sector, currently dominated bymaize cultivation, is also significant in the village economy. There are virtually no shops, but basic shopping is available from travelling van-based businesses.
Local discoveries ofRoman relics suggest the presence of a settlement in the Roman period. An early surviving reference from the seventh century gives the name of the village as Chirichheim. There is also evidence of a royal residence frequently used byCharles the Fat and the EmpressRicharde in the laterMerovingian period.
The village was part of the territory of theEmpire, and was a dependency of nearbyWasselonne with which, according to records of the time, Kirchheim shared its history until it came under the control ofStrasbourg. The Convent of Haslach held acour domaniale (regional court) there and retained certain rights. There is evidence of some sort of religious monastery or convent in the eleventh century, which later, in 1274, was taken under the protection ofRudolf I of Germany.
The village's coat of arms features an open book and an ink pad—an indication, it is believed, of the presence of severalprinting firms in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.
Kirchheim came under the ecclesiastical administration of the chapter ofMolsheim. Kirchheim Church was, in turn, the mother church of those atMarlenheim andOdratzheim, an arrangement that continued until the start of the nineteenth century.
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