It is second in size in theBas-Rhin only toStrasbourg, some 30 km (19 mi) to the south. To the north of the town, theForest of Haguenau is the largest undivided forest in France.
Haguenau was founded by German dukes and has swapped back and forth several times between Germany and France over the centuries, with its spelling altering between "Hagenau" and "Haguenau" by the turn. After the French defeat in theFranco-Prussian War, Haguenau was ceded to the new German Empire. It was part of the German Empire for 48 years from 1871 to 1918, when at the end ofWorld War I it was returned to France. This transfer was officially ratified in 1919 with theTreaty of Versailles.
Haguenau is a rapidly growing town, its population having increased from 22,944 inhabitants in 1968 to 34,504 inhabitants in 2017.[4] Haguenau'sfunctional urban area has grown from 54,415 inhabitants in 1968 to 75,933 inhabitants in 2017.[5]
Haguenau dates from the beginning of the 12th century, when DukeFrederick II the One-Eyed (1090 – 6 April 1147) ofSwabia erected a hunting lodge on an island in the riverModer. The medieval King andHoly Roman EmperorFrederick I Barbarossa fortified the settlement and gave ittown rights, important for further development, in 1154. On the site of the hunting lodge he founded an imperial palace he regarded as his favourite residence. In this palace were preserved the "Crown Jewels of theHoly Roman Empire", i.e. the jewelled imperial crown, sceptre, imperial orb, and sword ofCharlemagne.
Richard of Cornwall, King of the Romans, made it animperial city in 1257. Subsequently, throughRudolph I of Germany — the firstHabsburg emperor — Haguenau became the seat of theLandvogt of Hagenau, the German imperial advocate inLower Alsace. In the 14th century, it housed the executive council of theDecapole, a defensive and offensive association of ten Alsatian towns against external aggression, economic expansion and related political instability. In thePeace of Westphalia in 1648, Alsace was ceded to France, which had repeatedly invaded and looted the region in the past. In 1673 KingLouis XIV had the fortifications as well as the remains of the king's palace razed in order to extinguish German traditions. Haguenau was recaptured by German troops in 1675, but was taken again by the French two years later, when it was nearly destroyed by fire set by looting French troops.
In 1793 Prussians and Austrians had occupied Lower Alsace from the Lauter to Moder to support the Royalists and before the year's end were driven back over the border by theFrench Revolutionary Army, causing the “great flight”.
On 1 December 1944, the314th Infantry Regiment of the79th Division, XV Corps, 7th U.S. Army, moved into the area near Haguenau, and on 7 December the regiment was given the assignment to take it and thetown forest just north that included German ammunition dumps. The attack began at 0645 on 9 December, and sometime during the night of 10 December and the early morning of 11 December the Germans withdrew under the cover of darkness, leaving the town proper largely under American control.[8]
Before they withdrew, the Germans demolished bridges, useful buildings, and even the town park. However, as experienced by Haguenau throughout its history, the Germans came back and retook the town in late January. Most of the inhabitants fled with the assistance of the U.S. Army. The Americans launched an immediate counterattack to retake the town.[9] The 313th Infantry Regiment of the 79th Division was relieved by the101st Airborne Division on 5 February 1945.[10] The36th Infantry Division would relieve the 101st on 23 February 1945.[11] On 15 March the AlliedOperation Undertone, a combined effort of theU.S. Seventh andFrench 1st Armies of the U.S.Sixth Army Group, was launched to drive the Germans back along a 75 km line fromSaarbrücken to Haguenau. The last German soldier was not cleared out of the town until 19 March 1945, after house-to-house fighting.
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The town has a well balanced economy. Centuries of troubled history in the buffer lands between France and Germany have given Haguenau a rich historical and cultural heritage which supports a livelytourist trade. There is also a thriving lightmanufacturing sector centred on the industrial zone to the west of the town. Here the presence nearby of significant retail developments testifies to Haguenau's importance as a regional commercial centre. The recent extension of thering road has improved access to the commercial and industrial zones and reduced the traffic congestion which used to be a frequent challenge for vehicle drivers using the road which follows the line of the old town walls on the western side of town.
In spite of the extensive destruction Haguenau suffered during the many wars experienced by Alsace, especially theThirty Years' War, the French conquest in 1677 and the Second World War, it still possesses monuments from nine centuries, even if nothing is left of arguably the most prestigious of them, Frederick I Barbarossa's imperial palace (Kaiserpfalz).
Medieval Haguenau retains three gates from its former fortification, theTour des Chevaliers (Tower of the knights), theTour des Pêcheurs (Tower of the fishermen) and thePorte de Wissembourg (Wissembourg gate), two fairly large Gothic churches, Saint-Georges and Saint-Nicolas, an ancient water-mill and theold custom-house (Ancienne Douane). BothSaint-Georges and Saint-Nicolas Church have lost many of their artistic treasures over the centuries, especially their medieval stained glass windows and outside sculptures. Still, both display to this day some fine liturgical furniture (altars, choir stalls, organ cases,church tabernacles, calvaries...). Saint-Nicolas has become the receptacle for the baroque wooden decoration of the church of the destroyedNeubourg Abbey nearby.
FrenchBaroque andclassicism has bequeathed the town several buildings, among which the former hospital and the current town hall. The Synagogue (1820) is a fine example of FrenchNeo-classicism, as is the theatre (Théâtre municipal) (1846). The largeHop hall (Halle au houblon) is a good example of historicism in architecture. It was built by the French in 1867 and extended twice by the Germans, in 1881 and 1908.
TheBasilica of Our Lady in the locality of Marienthal is a vastGothic Revival sanctuary (1863–1866). It keeps two early 15th-century statues, and a host of sculptures from around 1519.
Haguenau's streets are adorned by attractive fountains, the medieval Saint-Georges fountain, the 18th-century Bee fountain (Fontaine aux abeilles) and the 1825 Dolphin fountain (Fontaine aux dauphins).
Musée historique de Haguenau (Historical Museum). The largest museum in Bas-Rhin outside of Strasbourg, it is located in a grand neo-medieval building (1905).
Musée alsacien (Haguenau) (Alsatian Museum). Located in the former palace of the chancellor (Chancellerie), Haguenau's mainRenaissance building.
Musée du bagage (Baggage museum). Located in a former 1840s villa that subsequently served as a bank. The museum opened in April 2016.[15][16]
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