Issenhausen (; gsw-FR, Issehüse) 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
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
Grand Est
Grand Est (; gsw-FR, Grossa Oschta; Moselle Franconian/ lb, Grouss Osten;
Rhine Franconian: ''Groß Oschte''; german: Großer Osten ; en, "Great East") is an administrative region in Northeastern France. It superseded three former administrat ...
in north-eastern
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
Strasbourg
Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label=Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label=Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the Eu ...
at the western edge of the Alsace plane, where the ground becomes less flat in apparent anticipation of the
Vosges Mountains
The Vosges ( , ; german: Vogesen ; Franconian and gsw, Vogese) are a range of low mountains in Eastern France, near its border with Germany. Together with the Palatine Forest to the north on the German side of the border, they form a single ...
further to the west. This is essentially a one street village stretched out along the side of a hill, the shape of the overall commune being reminiscent of a shallow bowl. The landscape is of gentle rolling hills: the highest point within the commune is the 254 meter high Moenchberg. The subsoil is of
sedimentary soil
Sediment is a naturally occurring material that is broken down by processes of weathering and erosion, and is subsequently transported by the action of wind, water, or ice or by the force of gravity acting on the particles. For example, sand an ...
.
The "Bachgraben" stream, a tributary of the river
Zorn
Zorn is a family name of German origin meaning "wrath". Historically, it was predominantly strong in German influenced cities such as Strasbourg, Kempten, Innsbruck, and Würzburg. Today, the surname Zorn can be frequently found in Bavaria, Baden- ...
, flows through the village.
Economy
94% of the communal territory is given over to agriculture: cereal crops predominate in the early years of the 21st century.
History
According to an etymological dictionary the name of the village denotes "The house at the source of the stream" which would be consistent with there being several areas of the 'bowl' formed commune where the water table breaks through the surface of the land. An alternative etymology indicates that "Issen" is a reference to "Eisen" a local word for iron and a reference to
iron ore
Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red. The iron is usually found in the fo ...
extraction taking place here.
The settlement was originally part of the estate of the Abbey of Marmoutier, and subsequently came under the control successively of several of the major land owning families of the region, including the counts of Hanau-Lichtenberg.
In 1702, while
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
was still in the process of digesting
Alsace
Alsace (, ; ; Low Alemannic German/ gsw-FR, Elsàss ; german: Elsass ; la, Alsatia) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in eastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine next to Germany and Switzerland. In 2020, it had ...
which it had recently acquired through conquest, Guillin, the military engineer based at Neuf-Brisach, wrote that Hissenhus was a village situated in a dip without a church nor anything else worthy of note ''("Hissenhus est un petit village situé dans un fond sans aucune église n'y autre chose remarquable")''.
Landmarks
There are many excellent examples of the half-timbered Alsatian houses for which the region is famous. The village has also acquired a church since the visit of the military surveyor: the church dates from 1850 and was renovated in 1914.