 | You can helpexpand this article with text translated fromthe corresponding article in French. (December 2008)Click [show] for important translation instructions.
|
La Wantzenau | |
|---|---|
 TheIll River in La Wantzenau | |
.svg) Coat of arms | |
 Location of La Wantzenau | |
  La Wantzenau  La Wantzenau | |
| Coordinates:48°39′32″N7°49′45″E / 48.6589°N 7.8292°E /48.6589; 7.8292 | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Grand Est |
| Department | Bas-Rhin |
| Arrondissement | Strasbourg |
| Canton | Brumath |
| Intercommunality | Strasbourg Eurométropole |
| Government | |
| • Mayor(2020–2026) | Michèle Kannengieser[1] |
Area 1 | 25.39 km2 (9.80 sq mi) |
| Population (2023)[2] | 5,864 |
| • Density | 231.0/km2 (598.2/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 67519 /67610 |
| Elevation | 128–135 m (420–443 ft) (avg. 130 m or 430 ft) |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
La Wantzenau (French pronunciation:[lavãtsəno];German:Wanzenau) is acommune in theBas-Rhindepartment inGrand Est in north-easternFrance.[3]
The town is located 12 km northeast ofStrasbourg. It is the last village along theIll river before it joins theRhine a few kilometres downstream. The village limits touch the border withGermany, although the closest bridge across the Rhine is inGambsheim, 10 km north of the village. It is one of the villages of greater Strasbourg (Strasbourg Eurométropole). The village centre and the recently developed area, Le Golf, are on the north side of the river Ill with the neighbourhood of Le Woerthel on the south side.
The terrain around the village is very flat andmarshy. In fact the ending "au" in the name denotes inAlsatian a town which is subject to seasonal flooding. The town was probably founded in the 8th century as a fishing outpost ofHonau, a nearby monastery founded byIrish 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 aparish by thebishop-prince ofStrasbourg in 1468. During theThirty Years' War, in the early 17th century, the town was completely wiped out bySwedish troops. It was also badly damaged during both World Wars. There are many signs of the town's experience with war. Rue Albert Zimmer is named for asoldier who became a local hero fighting withGeneral Leclerc inWorld War II, only to be killed in fighting near Strasbourg in 1944. The town is dotted withbunkers andblockhouses from theMaginot Line, especially in the La Wantzenauforest. There is also a German-made bunker visible in the house on the corner of the rue Leh and the rue du Moulin.
Today, the town has preserved many 18th centuryhalf-timbered 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 istwinned withSaint-Yrieix-la-Perche inHaute-Vienne because the population of La Wantzenau was evacuated there at the start of the war with Germany in 1939.
La Wantzenau is abedroom community of Strasbourg. It combines the advantages of village life with individual houses while still being part of the CUS withtrain andbus 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 agrocery store, twobakeries and twotobacconists. There are also several public buildings including apost office, thetown hall, the Foyer Culturel, the Jean-Claude Klein sports complex, afootballstadium, twopre-schools, aprimary school, and ajunior highschool.
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 3,726 | — |
| 1975 | 4,216 | +1.78% |
| 1982 | 4,084 | −0.45% |
| 1990 | 4,394 | +0.92% |
| 1999 | 5,462 | +2.45% |
| 2007 | 5,859 | +0.88% |
| 2012 | 5,773 | −0.30% |
| 2017 | 5,841 | +0.23% |
| Source: INSEE[4] | ||
