Bassemberg | |
|---|---|
 A general view of Bassemberg | |
 Coat of arms | |
Location of Bassemberg  | |
  Bassemberg  Bassemberg | |
| Coordinates:48°20′07″N7°17′03″E / 48.3353°N 7.2842°E /48.3353; 7.2842 | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Grand Est |
| Department | Bas-Rhin |
| Arrondissement | Sélestat-Erstein |
| Canton | Mutzig |
| Intercommunality | Vallée de Villé |
| Government | |
| • Mayor(2020–2026) | Emmanuel Eschrich[1] |
Area 1 | 1.78 km2 (0.69 sq mi) |
| Population (2022)[2] | 223 |
| • Density | 130/km2 (320/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 67022 /67220 |
| Elevation | 275–616 m (902–2,021 ft) |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
Bassemberg (German:Bassenberg) is acommune in theBas-Rhindepartment in theAlsace region of north-easternFrance.[3]
The inhabitants of the commune are known asBassembergeois orBassembergeoises.[4]
The commune has been awardedone flower by theNational Council of Towns and Villages in Bloom in theCompetition of cities and villages in Bloom.[5]
Bassemberg is located 1 km south-west ofVillé and 12 km north-west ofSélestat.[6][7] The commune covers 178 hectares and is divided into two distinct areas separated by the valley of Giessen:
The village is 280 metres above sea level at the foot of the slope of the Honel. Its location close to Giessen does not protect it from flooding of the river.
Access to the commune is by the D39 road from Villé in the north-east which passes through the commune and continues toFouchy. The D97 fromNeuve-Église also passes through the south of the commune and continues to Fouchy.[6][7]
TheGiessen river forms part of the southern border as it flows to the east through the village and continues east to join theIll north ofMuttersholtz.[6][7]
Neighbouring communes and villages[6] | |
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The commune lies in the coal basin of the valley of Villé.[8]
In 1361 the area was calledBassenberg and becameBassemberg by the 18th century. The name may have come from an old German nameBadubald meaning "the brave". Other interpretations may apply "der basse" meaning "wild boar": in this case a mountainboar.
Bassemberg appears asBassemtrery on the 1750Cassini Map[9] and does not appear at all on the 1790 version.[10]
The village was probably built in the Middle Ages on the ancient road connectingVillé toSaint-Dié-des-Vosges. The locality is mentioned for the first time in 1361 while it was in the hands ofFrédéric de Cuntzmann deHattstatt from a powerfulAlsatian noble family. The village was probably formed around a mill and a bridge over theScheer d'Urbeis. A statement from 1453 mentions a forest without mentioning vast grasslands around which for centuries serve as pretexts for many lawsuits with the neighbouring villages ofLalaye, Charbes,Fouchy, andVillé.
After the end of conflicts that devastated the region (Armagnacs, War of the Peasants,Swedish War) Bassemberg adopted a regulation containing no less than 29 articles. This was in order to regulate rural policing and precisely specified rights to the forest, the vines, the shepherds, the horses, cattle, pigs, chickens, geese, and even dogs. It was so precise that "any individual, married or not, who wants to keep household shall, as a good citizen, submit to legal obligations otherwise he must leave the village".
In the 19th century Bassemberg had a small Jewish community which did not exist at the census of 1784 but had 21 people in 1850. A synagogue was established in 1832. Thereafter the small community moved to Villé.
TheFirst World War transformed the life of the village which was on the route of the "Londonbahn"[11] that ran from June 1917 until the armistice of 11 November 1918. There was also a train station and a building that served as an arms and equipment warehouse to be carried on the front line at Bassemberg. On 24 November 1918, a child from Bassemberg, Emile Waechter, 9 years old, was the victim of a fatal accident on the road while playing on a wagon with friends. During the First World War the village lost 13 inhabitants.
The village lost 12 inhabitants during theSecond World War.
| Blazon: Or, a cross Azure cantoned with 20 billets the same, 5 per canton saltirewise. |
 |
| From | To | Name | Party | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 2014 | André Barthelme | ||
| 2014 | 2026[13] | Emmanuel Eschrich |
In 2017 the commune had 249 inhabitants.
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| Source: EHESS[14] and INSEE[15] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bassemberg developed along the road fromVillé toLalaye. The buildings followed the shape of the village street in an S shape. Their placement took into account the presence of the river. The buildings located on the floodplain have placed their storerooms on the ground floor with the living areas on the first floor. The houses have adopted the layout of Vosges type farms. The buildings are generally parallel to the street and, successively starting from the front: a gable wall, an arched entrance to the cellar, an access door to the house, an arched door to the barn, and a stable door. Some buildings date back to the 18th century. They are mostly modest sized buildings. Often due to lack of space they were joined in groups of two or three.
The commune has a number of buildings and sites that are registered as historical monuments:
[16][17] This farmhouse contains aTympanum
that is registered as an historical object.[18][19][20][21][22]
TheChurch of Saint Quirin was probably built around an old chapel in the 16th or 17th century. Rebuilt in 1751, it was enlarged in 1867 when the village was experiencing a demographic expansion. Bassemberg was once a place of local pilgrimage for people with rheumatism coming to implore the help of Saint Quirin. The pilgrims came mostly from the Val de Villé and did not have the means to go to the village ofSaint-Quirin in theMoselle where the saint's head rested in a reliquary. Reflecting the size of the village, Bassemberg has only a modest church dedicated to Saint Quirin - a Roman martyr. A painting 2X3m to the right in the nave recalls the baptism of a Roman tribune converted to Christianity with his daughter Balbina byPope Alexander I (105-117). First martyred on agridiron they cut off successively his hand, foot, and tongue before finally being beheaded. The church is lit by stained glass from the workshops of Ott Brothers of Strasbourg. Two wooden pillars support a balcony where the first organ was installed in 1897. Classed in 1928 as an "old instrument and worthless", it was removed in 1958 by Schwenkedel and replaced by a harmonium and electronic organ. The Church is registered as an historical monument.[23] The Church contains many items that are registered as historical objects:
[24][25][26][27][28]Bassemberg has nineCalvaries still in perfect condition including five dating to the 18th century. The calvary in the old cemetery is the best preserved. Moved by the municipality for development, it is well protected by the long wall of the church. A finely carved niche surrounds the shaft where the inscription:Meint Testament Soll Sein Am / End Amen Jesus Maria und Joseph (My testament to my end must be Jesus, Mary and Joseph Amen). Below on the pedestal is engraved the year 1737. The Calvary is surrounded by the names of the victims of the two world wars.
Another cross from 1737 stands on the municipal boundary between Bassemberg andBreitenau near a reservoir. It unfortunately suffers from soiling due to two trees. It is a cross-milestone: the letters BB (Bassemberg / Breitenau) are engraved on the stock on either side of a floral pattern. At the foot is a milestone with arms that have been damaged by time and perhaps in theFrench Revolution. The coat of arms ofRathsamhausen Zum Stein, the one time owner of the lordship of Villé and that of the Grand Chapter ofStrasbourg Cathedral, owner of Comte-Ban and therefore Breitenau. Another milestone of the same type is a little further on the way.
TheCemetery (1860) is registered as an historical monument.[29] The movable items in the Cemetery are also registered as historical objects.[30]
