Dannemarie ( is the French name of Dàmmerkìrch (german: Dammerkirch), a commune in the Haut-Rhin

department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

in Alsace in north-eastern France. It was the seat of a

canton Canton may refer to: Administrative division terminology * Canton (administrative division), territorial/administrative division in some countries, notably Switzerland * Township (Canada), known as ''canton'' in Canadian French Arts and ent ...

of the same name and is the seat of the ''Communauté de communes de la Porte d'Alsace''.

Geography

The town is situated in

Sundgau Sundgau ( or ; ) is a geographical territory in the southern Alsace region (Haut Rhin and Belfort), on the eastern edge of France. The name is derived from Alemannic German ''Sunt- gowe'' ("South shire"), denoting an Alemannic county in the Old Hi ...

between the towns of Mulhouse (approximately 27 km north) and Belfort (approximately 23 km west) and lies on the river Largue, a tributary of the Ill (a river which flows into the Rhein). It can be reached via the Routes départementales D-103 (Thann-Delle) and D-419 (Belfort-Altkirch-Basel).

History

In 1016 the town is mentioned as ''Danamarachiricha'' meaning "Church of the Lady Mary". Throughout history the name changed several times and took on some French and German forms. The name in the local German language was Dammerskirch. From the thirteenth century until 1324 it was part of the

Ferrette Ferrette (; german: Pfirt ; gsw-FR, Pfìrt) is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France. It is situated close to the Swiss border. Its main attraction is the Château de Ferrette. County of Ferrette The County o ...

region. Until the end of the Thirty Years' War in 1648 it was ruled over by the House of Habsburg before falling under the jurisdiction of Cardinal Mazarin. After the French Revolution it became part of the Belfort district. In 1870 Altkirch became attached to this administrative framework. Today it is part of the Haut-Rhin

. In August 1914, during the First World War, French troops moved in during the fighting on the approaching

Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to: Military frontiers *Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (Russian Empire), a majo ...

and it became the military headquarters.

Population

Historic sites

* The railway viaduct on the Belfort- Mulhouse line is a 493m long stone arched bridge over the Largue. It was built in 1862 and has since been rebuilt and destroyed four times, in 1870, 1914, 1915 and 1944. * The town hall or ''Hôtel de Ville''.UK tourist trapped in French hall
BBC News. 25 August 2009.

Notable residents

* Peter von Hagenbach (c. 1420–1474), Burgundian Landvogt. *

Eugène Ricklin Doctor Eugène Ricklin (1862 – 4 September 1935) was a popular Alsatian politician known for his fiery opposition both to German and French assimilationist policies in Alsace. Biography Eugène Ricklin was born in Dannemarie(German: ''Damme ...

(1862–1935), an Alsatian politician was born in Dannemarie. *

Leo Justinus Kauffmann Leo or Léo may refer to: Acronyms * Law enforcement officer * Law enforcement organisation * ''Louisville Eccentric Observer'', a free weekly newspaper in Louisville, Kentucky * Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity Arts an ...

(1901–1944), composer, was born in Dannemarie. *

Monique Wittig Monique Wittig (; July 13, 1935 – January 3, 2003) was a French author, philosopher and feminist theorist who wrote about abolition of the sex-class system and coined the phrase "heterosexual contract". Her seminal work is titled ''The Straigh ...

(1935–2003), author and feminist theorist, was born in Dannemarie.

References