Haguenau (; Alsatian: or ; and historically in English: ''Hagenaw'') is a commune in the

Bas-Rhin Bas-Rhin (; Alsatian: ''Unterelsàss'', ' or '; traditional german: links=no, Niederrhein; en, Lower Rhine) is a department in Alsace which is a part of the Grand Est super-region of France. The name means 'Lower Rhine', referring to its low ...

department of France, of which it is a

sub-prefecture A subprefecture is an administrative division of a country that is below prefecture or province. Albania There are twelve Albanian counties or prefectures, each of which is divided into several districts, sometimes translated as subprefecture ...

. It is second in size in the

only to Strasbourg, some to the south. To the north of the town, the Forest of Haguenau (french: Forêt de 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 the Franco-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 of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

it was returned to France. This transfer was officially ratified in 1919 with the

Treaty of Versailles The Treaty of Versailles (french: Traité de Versailles; german: Versailler Vertrag, ) was the most important of the peace treaties of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June 1 ...

. Haguenau is a rapidly growing town, its population having increased from 22,944 inhabitants in 1968 to 34,504 inhabitants in 2017. Haguenau's functional urban area has grown from 54,415 inhabitants in 1968 to 75,933 inhabitants in 2017.

History

Haguenau dates from the beginning of the 12th century, when Duke Frederick II the One-Eyed (1090 – 6 April 1147) of Swabia erected a hunting lodge on an island in the river Moder. The medieval King and Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa fortified the settlement and gave it

town rights Town privileges or borough rights were important features of European towns during most of the second millennium. The city law customary in Central Europe probably dates back to Italian models, which in turn were oriented towards the traditio ...

, 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 the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars. From the accession of Otto I in 962 ...

", i.e. the jewelled imperial crown, sceptre, imperial orb, and sword of

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first Em ...

. Richard of Cornwall, King of the Romans, made it an imperial city in 1257. Subsequently, through Rudolph I of Germany (

House of Habsburg The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...

) Haguenau became the seat of the of Hagenau, the German imperial advocate in Lower Alsace. In the 14th century, it housed the executive council of the Decapole, a defensive and offensive association of ten Alsatian towns against external aggression, economic expansion and related political instability. In the

Peace of Westphalia The Peace of Westphalia (german: Westfälischer Friede, ) is the collective name for two peace treaties signed in October 1648 in the Westphalian cities of Osnabrück and Münster. They ended the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) and brought pe ...

in 1648, Alsace was ceded to France, which had repeatedly invaded and looted the region in the past. In 1673 King

Louis XIV , house = Bourbon , father = Louis XIII , mother = Anne of Austria , birth_date = , birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France , death_date = , death_place = Palace of Ve ...

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 the French Revolutionary Army, causing the “great flight”. In 1871, Haguenau was ceded to the German Empire upon its victory in the Franco-Prussian War; the community was made part of Alsace-Lorraine, with its Germanic spelling–''Hagenau''–restored. The Haguenau Airport was built in 1916 by the German military to train fighter and bomber pilots to fight in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fig ...

. Hagenau was part of the briefly independent

Republic of Alsace-Lorraine November 1918 was the period of transition when the region of Alsace-Lorraine passed from German to French sovereignty at the end of World War I. During this month, international events were linked to domestic troubles, particularly the German ...

after

, before being returned to France in 1919.

Second World War

In the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, Germany retook the town in 1940. In November 1944 the area surrounding Haguenau was under the control of the

256th Volksgrenadier Division The 256th Infantry Division (''256. Infanterie-Division'') was a German infantry division in World War II. They formed on August 1939 as part of the 4. Welle (wave). The division was destroyed at Vitebsk in June 1944 during Operation Bagration. T ...

under the command of General

Gerhard Franz __NOTOC__ Gerhard Franz (26 February 1902 – 24 December 1975) was a German general in the Wehrmacht during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany. Awards and decorations * Knight's Cross of t ...

. On 1 December 1944, the

314th Infantry Regiment The 314th Infantry Regiment is an infantry regiment of the U.S. Army first organized in 1917. History World War I Organized as part of the 79th Division A.E.F. (American Expeditionary Force) – World War I The United States in World War I, ...

of the 79th 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 the

town forest An urban forest is a forest, or a collection of trees, that grow within a city, town or a suburb. In a wider sense, it may include any kind of woody plant vegetation growing in and around human settlements. As opposed to a forest park, whose ...

just north that included German ammunition dumps. The attack began at 0645, 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. 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. The 313th Infantry Regiment of the 79th Division was relieved by the

101st Airborne Division The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) ("Screaming Eagles") is a light infantry division of the United States Army that specializes in air assault operations. It can plan, coordinate, and execute multiple battalion-size air assault operat ...

on 5 February 1945. The 36th Infantry Division would relieve the 101st on 23 February 1945. On March 15 the Allied

Operation Undertone Operation Undertone, also known as the Saar-Palatinate Offensive, was a large assault by the U.S. Seventh, Third, and French First Armies of the Sixth and Twelfth Army Groups as part of the Allied invasion of Germany in March 1945 during Wo ...

, a combined effort of the U.S. Seventh and French 1st Armies of the U.S.

Sixth Army Group The 6th United States Army Group was an Allied Army Group that fought in the European Theater of Operations during World War II. Made up of field armies from both the United States Army and the French Army, it fought in France, Germany, A ...

was launched to drive the Germans back along a 75 km line from

Saarbrücken Saarbrücken (; french: link=no, Sarrebruck ; Rhine Franconian: ''Saarbrigge'' ; lb, Saarbrécken ; lat, Saravipons, lit=The Bridge(s) across the Saar river) is the capital and largest city of the state of Saarland, Germany. Saarbrücken is ...

to Haguenau. The last German soldier was not cleared out of the town until March 19, 1945, after house-to-house fighting. Much of the town had been destroyed despite the Allied reluctance to use artillery to clear out the Germans. Technical Sergeant

Morris E. Crain Morris E. Crain (October 7, 1924 – March 13, 1945) was a United States Army soldier and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in World War II. Biography Crain joined the Army fr ...

, Company E,

141st Infantry Regiment The 141st Infantry Regiment ("1st Texas Infantry") is an infantry regiment in the United States Army. The lineage of the 141st includes units tracing origins to the Texas Revolution, such as Company A, First Texas, 1836, and other infantry com ...

, 36th Infantry Division was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for providing covering fire for his men on 13 March 1945.

Population

Economy

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 lively tourist trade. There is also a thriving light manufacturing 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 the ring 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.

Sights

Architecture

In spite of the extensive destruction Haguenau suffered during the many wars experienced by Alsace, especially the

Thirty Years War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battle ...

, 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, the ''Tour des Chevaliers'' (Tower of the knights), the ''Tour des Pêcheurs'' (Tower of the fishermen) and the ''Porte de Wissembourg'' ( Wissembourg gate), two fairly large Gothic churches, Saint-Georges and Saint-Nicolas, an ancient water-mill and the old custom-house (''Ancienne Douane''). Both Saint-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 tabernacle A tabernacle or sacrament house is a fixed, locked box in which the Eucharist (consecrated communion hosts) is stored as part of the " reserved sacrament" rite. A container for the same purpose, which is set directly into a wall, is called an ...

s, calvaries...). Saint-Nicolas has become the receptacle for the baroque wooden decoration of the church of the destroyed

Neubourg Abbey Neubourg Abbey (french: Abbaye de Neubourg or ''du Neubourg''; german: Kloster Neuburg; la, Novum Castrum) is a former Cistercian monastery in Alsace, France, in Dauendorf, about 9 km west of Haguenau in the Bas-Rhin department. History ...

nearby. French Baroque and

classicism Classicism, in the arts, refers generally to a high regard for a classical period, classical antiquity in the Western tradition, as setting standards for taste which the classicists seek to emulate. In its purest form, classicism is an aestheti ...

has bequeathed the town several buildings, among which the former hospital and the current town hall. The Synagogue (1820) is a fine example of French Neo-classicism, as is the theatre (''Théâtre municipal'') (1846). The large Hop 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. The

Basilica of Our Lady In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica is a large public building with multiple functions, typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek East. The building gave its name ...

in the locality of Marienthal is a vast Gothic 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'').

Museums

Musée historique de Haguenau The Musée historique (Historical museum) is one of the three museums of Haguenau, France. It was established in 1900 and inaugurated in 1905, when Haguenau was a German town and part of Alsace-Lorraine. In spite of its name, it is as much an art ...

(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 main

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass id ...

building. * Musée du bagage ( Baggage museum). Located in a former 1840s villa that subsequently served as a bank. The museum opened in April 2016.

Higher education

The ''Institut universitaire de technologie de Haguenau'' (IUT) was founded in 2006. It is a branch of the

University of Strasbourg The University of Strasbourg (french: Université de Strasbourg, Unistra) is a public research university located in Strasbourg, Alsace, France, with over 52,000 students and 3,300 researchers. The French university traces its history to the ...

Notable people

* Thomas Anshelm (de) *

Werner Barkholt Werner may refer to: People * Werner (name), origin of the name and people with this name as surname and given name Fictional characters * Werner (comics), a German comic book character * Werner Von Croy, a fictional character in the ''Tomb Ra ...

(1902–1942), a Catholic spiritualist *

Alfred von Beckerath Alfred may refer to: Arts and entertainment *''Alfred J. Kwak'', Dutch-German-Japanese anime television series * ''Alfred'' (Arne opera), a 1740 masque by Thomas Arne * ''Alfred'' (Dvořák), an 1870 opera by Antonín Dvořák *"Alfred (Interlu ...

(de) *

Charles Berdellé Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was "f ...

(fr) *

Stéphane Besle Stéphane Besle (; born 23 January 1984 in Haguenau) is a retired French footballer.

Philipp Biedert Philipp is both a surname and a given name. Notable people with the name include: "Philipp" has also been a shortened version of Philippson, a German surname especially prevalent amongst German Jews and Dutch Jews. Surname * Adolf Philipp (1864 ...

(de) * Philipp Friedrich Böddecker (1607–1683), a Composer and organist * David Léon Cahun (1841–1900), a Jewish French traveler, orientalist and writer * Wolfgang Fabricius Capito(n) ''(Köpfel)'' (1478–1541), a Christian theologian and reformer *

Roger Corbeau Roger is a given name, usually masculine, and a surname. The given name is derived from the Old French personal names ' and '. These names are of Germanic origin, derived from the elements ', ''χrōþi'' ("fame", "renown", "honour") and ', ' ( ...

(fr) *

(1924–March 13, 1945), a United States Army soldier * Louis Eisenmann (de) * Frederick I * Albert Gemmrich * Karl Gengler (1886–1974), a politician * Gustave Glotz * Heinrich Gran (active from 1489 until 1527), a printer of incunabula * Heinrich von Isny (de) * Josel of Rosheim (1476–1554), a Jewish

shtadlan A ''shtadlan'' ( he, שַׁדְלָן, ; yi, שתּדלן, ) was an intercessor for a local European Jewish community. They represented the interests of the community, especially those of a town's ghetto, and worked as a "lobbyist" negotiating w ...

, born here * Cédric Klein (fr) *

Diebold Lauber Diebold Nixdorf is an American multinational financial and retail technology company that specializes in the sale, manufacture, installation and service of self-service transaction systems (such as ATMs and currency processing systems), point ...

(de) * Borach Levi, ''later''

Joseph Jean François Elie Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the mo ...

(1721–?), a Jewish convert to Christianity *

Eliezer Liebermann Eliezer (, "Help/Court of El") was the name of at least three different individuals in the Bible. Eliezer of Damascus Eliezer of Damascus () was, according to the Targums, the son of Nimrod. Eliezer was head of the patriarch Abraham's househo ...

(half of the 19th-century), an Austrian Jewish Talmudist son of the rabbi Zeeb-Wolf of this town * Sébastien Loeb (born 1974), 9-time World Rally Championship-winning driver *

Marcel Loeffler Marcel may refer to: People * Marcel (given name), people with the given name Marcel * Marcel (footballer, born August 1981), Marcel Silva Andrade, Brazilian midfielder * Marcel (footballer, born November 1981), Marcel Augusto Ortolan, Brazilian s ...

(fr) *

Adam Friedrich Löwenfinck Adam; el, Ἀδάμ, Adám; la, Adam is the name given in Genesis 1-5 to the first human. Beyond its use as the name of the first man, ''adam'' is also used in the Bible as a pronoun, individually as "a human" and in a collective sense as " ...

(de) *

Niklaus von Hagenau Nikolaus Hagenauer (c. 1445/1460 — before 1538) was a German late gothic sculptor from Hagenau (Alsace in the Holy Roman Empire, present day France). He was most likely born as Niklas Zimmerlin, but was also documented and signed works as Niclas ...

* Jean-Georges Paulus *

Reinmar of Hagenau Reinmar von Hagenau (also Reinmar der Alte, ''Reinmar the Elder'') was a German Minnesänger of the late twelfth century who composed and performed love-songs in Middle High German. He was regarded by his contemporaries as the greatest Minnesänge ...

, 12th-century minnesinger *

Marie-Louise Roth Marie Louise or Marie-Louise may refer to: People *Marie Louise of Orléans (1662–1689), daughter of Philippe I, Duke of Orléans, queen consort of Charles II of Spain * Marie Louise of Hesse-Kassel (1688–1765), daughter of Charles I, Landgrave ...

(born 1926), a literary scientist (de) * Elie Scheid (1841–1922), a Jewish French communal worker and writer * Diebold Schilling the Younger (before 1460, Haguenau (?)–1515 (?)), an Alsatian-Swiss chronicler * Marius Schneider (fr) * Elek Schwartz *

Theobald Schwarz Theobald is a Germanic dithematic name, composed from the elements '' theod-'' "people" and ''bald'' "bold". The name arrived in England with the Normans. The name occurs in many spelling variations, including Theudebald, Diepold, Theobalt, Tybal ...

(de) * Pierre Seel (1923–2005), an activist *

Eduard Stadtler Eduard Stadtler (February 17, 1886 in Hagenau – October 5, 1945 in NKVD special camp Nr. 7) was a German journalist and nationalist politician who formed the Anti-Bolshevist League in 1918. Stadler had begun advocating the creation of a "nationa ...

Johannes Stroux Johannes Stroux (25 August 1886 – 25 August 1954) was a German classicist, scholar of Roman law and organizer of scientific projects and organizations. In 1945 he became rector of the Berlin University and president of the Berlin Academy of Sc ...

Peter Stühlen Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a su ...

(de) * Joseph Thierry *

Michel Walter Michel may refer to: * Michel (name), a given name or surname of French origin (and list of people with the name) * Míchel (nickname), a nickname (a list of people with the nickname, mainly Spanish footballers) * Míchel (footballer, born 1963), S ...

(fr) *

Mathieu Weill Isaac Mathieu Weill (24 May 1851 – 5 November 1939) was a French mathematician and principal of the Collège Chaptal. Biography Mathieu Weill was born to a Jewish family in Haguenau, the son of Valentine and Isidore Weill, a mathematics teache ...

(1851–1939), a Jewish French mathematician

Twin towns

Haguenau is

twinned Twinning (making a twin of) may refer to: * In biology and agriculture, producing two offspring (i.e., twins) at a time, or having a tendency to do so; * Twin towns and sister cities, towns and cities involved in town twinning * Twinning inst ...

with

Landau Landau ( pfl, Landach), officially Landau in der Pfalz, is an autonomous (''kreisfrei'') town surrounded by the Südliche Weinstraße ("Southern Wine Route") district of southern Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is a university town (since 1990 ...

(Germany).

Media

Episode eight of the Second World War miniseries '' Band of Brothers'' is set in Haguenau. In the 1968 film ''Girl on a motorcycle'', Marianne Faithfull's character sets out from Haguenau on her fateful journey.

References

;Notes ;Bibliography *

External links

* * * * * * {{Authority control Communes of Bas-Rhin Subprefectures in France Free imperial cities Historic Jewish communities in Europe Décapole Populated places established in the 12th century

History

Second World War

Population

Economy

Sights

Architecture

Museums

Higher education

Notable people

Twin towns

Media

See also

References

External links