Husseren-les-Châteaux


Presentation of the Alsace village of Husseren-les-Châteaux
At an altitude of 380 metres, Husseren-les-Châteaux nestles at the foot of the Stauffen and the Three Castles of Eguisheim, 7 kilometres from Colmar. Husseren-les-Châteaux is the highest village in the Alsace wine region, and has a splendid view across the Rhine plain to the Black Forest on the horizon. Its wines from the "Pfersigberg" and "Eichberg" vineyards have been renowned since the 15th century. The village of some 400 people, but which had up to 650 inhabitants around 1850, has a long history. First mentioned in 1427 in the diocesan archives of Basle, it comprised simple huts built to house the craftsmen and workers who constructed the Three Castles in the 11th and 12th centuries, then Marbach Abbey in the 13th century. Originally known as "Haüsern" meaning "houses", its name became Husseren, and then in 1925 "Husseren-les-Châteaux" to distinguish it from Husseren-Wesserling in the Thur valley. The village prospered under the rule of the Basle diocese and the nobles of Hattstatt and Schauenbourg until the Thirty Years' War, when it suffered the horrors of the conflict and was even pillaged by the Swedes in 1633. After 1648, prosperity gradually returned thanks to Swiss and German immigrants and to the development of winegrowing by the noble Poltier and Cambefort families. From 1669 Husseren even had its own school. The French Revolution was marked only by the republican antics of both a rather hot-headed mayor and a schoolteacher. Husseren endured the political problems of the 19th century without too much trouble, and was sheltered from the urban agitation of the day by its hillside location. During the Second Republic, the village's mayor Joseph-Martin Rudler (1795-1870) became the local Member of Parliament. Yet another mayor, André Bas (1889-1979) was Member of Parliament from 1945 to 1951. Its new church, dedicated to St Pancras, was constructed in 1885. Today, the many winegrowers, all proud of their wines, several tasting cellars and an eminent hotel-restaurant hidden away at the edge of the forest, and situated right at the beginning of the picturesque Five Castles Route, Husseren-les-Châteaux is an ideal place for tourists and tired townspeople to enjoy a quiet stay far from modern everyday life. On every occasion, the inhabitants of Husseren are pleased to welcome visitors and to share with them the simple pleasures that contribute to the quality of life. Architectural Heritage: - 11th and 13th century castles of the Counts of Eguisheim on the Five Castles Route. Heritage Objects: - 14th century statue of St Pancras (St Pancras Church) - Rinkenbach organ (1890) Leisure facilities nearby : Château ou fortification ; Hiking trail ; Patrimoine religieux ; Outdoor tennis courts ;