Pfetterhouse (; gsw, Pfatterhüse; german: Pfetterhausen) is a

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

in the

Haut-Rhin Haut-Rhin (, ; Alsatian: ''Owerelsàss'' or '; german: Oberelsass, ) is a department in the Grand Est region of France, bordering both Germany and Switzerland. It is named after the river Rhine. Its name means ''Upper Rhine''. Haut-Rhin is th ...

department in

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 ...

in north-eastern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

Geography

Pfetterhouse is located in Jura Alsatian foothills, just in the border of Switzerland and the

Territoire de Belfort The Territoire de Belfort () is a department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region, eastern France. It had a population of 141,318 in 2019.Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

: ''Petrosa'' "the rocky one". An explanation of this origin could be the fact that stone from Pfetterhouse's quarry was used to build a Roman station not far from ''Petrosa'' or the presence of a Roman paved road. It explains the use of the French variant form ''Pérouse''. The Alemannic form is already mentioned as ''Phetterhusen'' in a 1296 document. The spelling ''ph'' in

Old High German Old High German (OHG; german: Althochdeutsch (Ahd.)) is the earliest stage of the German language, conventionally covering the period from around 750 to 1050. There is no standardised or supra-regional form of German at this period, and Old High ...

notes ''pf'' in Modern German. From the 17th century to 1919, the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

''Pfetterhausen'' (''-hausen'' is an often-used suffix for German village names) was used instead, then in 1919 ''Pérouse'' (which more sounds French, because Alsace was taken back by France) and, in the end, ''Pfetterhouse'', ''-house'' is a widespread spelling in Alsace (see

Mulhouse Mulhouse (; Alsatian: or , ; ; meaning '' mill house'') is a city of the Haut-Rhin department, in the Grand Est region, eastern France, close to the Swiss and German borders. It is the largest city in Haut-Rhin and second largest in Alsace a ...

) for the Alemannic ''-hüse'' and the German ''-hausen''.

History

The (Three Powers Boundary Stone) is situated in Pfetterhouse area. Until 1919, this stone was the point where the borders of

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

and Switzerland met. This

boundary marker A boundary marker, border marker, boundary stone, or border stone is a robust physical marker that identifies the start of a land boundary or the change in a boundary, especially a change in direction of a boundary. There are several other ty ...

gave to the village an international renown: many people from France, Germany or Switzerland came to have their photograph taken with it, which they could send to relatives as a postal card.

19th–20th centuries

After the annexation of Alsace by the German Empire in 1871, Pfetterhouse became known as Pfetterhausen. Germany imposed a high customs duty on wristwatches, so many Swiss watch- and clockmakers moved to Pfetterhausen to ply their trade and avoid the charges. From 1890 onwards, the town flourished and became prosperous, and almost everyone worked in some way for the watch-making industry, producing 300,000 watches a year. A large and imposing railway station was opened in 1910. On the outbreak of

World War I 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 fightin ...

in August 1914, the area saw some of the earliest fighting, and many of the Swiss fled across the border into Switzerland. The opposing French and German forces settled into trenches on opposite sides of the River Largin (french: Largue) some to the east of the village. French troops occupied the village, and in February 1916 a week-long German bombardment caused considerable damage and led to a complete evacuation of civilians. Pfetterhouse remained an exclusively military base until the spring of 1919. After the war, Alsace was returned to France. The local economy did not regain its pre-war status. By the 1960s, the passenger train service was withdrawn, and the line was closed completely by 1970.

Geography

History

19th–20th centuries

Demography

See also