Krautergersheim

Krautergersheim Krüterrische
A house in Krautergersheim
Coat of arms
Krautergersheim
Location within Alsace region  Krautergersheim
Coordinates: 48°28′34″N 7°34′03″E / 48.4761°N 7.5675°ECoordinates: 48°28′34″N 7°34′03″E / 48.4761°N 7.5675°E
Country	France
Region	Alsace-Champagne-Ardenne-Lorraine
Department	Bas-Rhin
Arrondissement	Sélestat-Erstein
Canton	Obernai
Intercommunality	Pays de Sainte-Odile
Government
• Mayor (2001–2008–2014)	Joseph Lotz
Area^1	6.37 km^2 (2.46 sq mi)
Population (2006)^2	1,613
• Density	250/km^2 (660/sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code	67247 / 67880
Elevation	149–159 m (489–522 ft)
^1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. ^2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Krautergersheim is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France. It lies between Strasbourg and Obernai.

Geography

Krautergersheim is located in the district of Sélestat-Erstein and the township of Obernai. The village is located close to the A 35 connecting Barr and Strasbourg. There are two main areas:

• To the west, cabbages, potatoes and corn are raised in loess terraces.
• To the east are country meadows, forests, and wet heaths; hemp and flax are also cultivated.

The commune occupies an area of 6.4 km² (2.5 sq mi). The nearest villages are Meistratzheim, Innenhei, Hindhead and Illkirch-Graffenstaden, the largest, 12 km (7.5 mi) to the south-west.

The Ehn River (formerly Ergers) flows through the area.

Toponymy

The commune, known as Ergersheimas, is mentioned as existing in 736 in a document of the Abbey of Murbach Eringisashaim, written in 778. The Abbess of Sainte-Odile, Herrad of Landsberg, mentions the commune in his writings.

According to humanist Wimpheling, Kraut, the German word for cabbage, was added to the name in the sixteenth centiry to distinguish it from a similar-named resort near Molsheim.

History

Roman remains and Merovingian tombs attest to the site being occupied during Roman times. Germans settled the area in the sixth and seventh centuries. Various abbeys mention the village: the Murbach Abbey in 735, the Hohenbourg Abbey (Mont Sainte-Odile) in 778 and the Abbey of Baumgarten in 1050.

The commune was destroyed in 1587 during the War of Religion; it was burned by passing mercenaries. During the Thirty Years' War the troops of General Ernst von Mansfeld pillaged and sacked the churches and abbeys, abused the peasants and burned the village. In 1632 Swedish King Gustav II Adolf came to the aid of German Protestants, and occupied Alsace. In 1634, two years after the death of their king, the Swedes left Alsace. From the fourteenth century, many noble families ruled the commune. The Berckheim family had a castle that was later purchased by Bernard Frederick Turckheim and his wife Lili Schoenemann. At the fall of the Empire, Austrian units occupied Krautergersheim for three years.

Commune activities include potato farming, the industrial production of sauerkraut, and building a strong artisan and commercial industry.

Sauerkraut

The sign reads "Capital of the Sauerkraut".

Krautergersheim is known as the Choucroute (sauerkraut) capital of the region. A Choucroute Festival is celebrated on the last Sunday of each September.

There is a linguistic connection with the name Krautergersheim, since "Kraut" means cabbage in the local language and cabbage is the main ingredient in Sauerkraut/Choucroute.

Population

The inhabitants are called Chouvilloises and Chouvillois, which refers to the area's connection with cabbage.

Historical population of Krautergersheim

Year	1962	1968	1975	1982	1990	1999
Population	1070	1086	1043	1303	1388	1590

See also

• Communes of the Bas-Rhin department

References

• INSEE commune file