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
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 ...
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 It superseded three former administra ...
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 ...
. It is part of the
arrondissement of Saverne
The arrondissement of Saverne (french: Arrondissement de Saverne; gsw-FR, Arrondissement Zàwra) is an arrondissement of France in the Bas-Rhin department in the Grand Est region. It has 162 communes. Its population is 128,960 (2016), and its ar ...
and the
canton of Ingwiller The canton of Ingwiller is an administrative division of the Bas-Rhin department, northeastern France. Created at the French canton reorganisation, which came into effect in March 2015, it has its seat in Ingwiller.
It consists of the following c ...
monastic grange
Monastic granges were outlying landholdings held by monasteries independent of the manorial system. The first granges were owned by the Cistercians and other orders followed. Wealthy monastic houses had many granges, most of which were largely ...
Dauendorf
Dauendorf is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Grand Est in north-eastern France.
It is the site of the remains of Neubourg Abbey, a former Cistercian monastery, destroyed during the French Revolution.
See also
* Communes of the Bas-R ...
. The
fief
A fief (; la, feudum) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form ...
dom of Erkartswyler was sold by the Burn family to the
lord
Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or are ...
of
Lichtenberg
Lichtenberg () is the eleventh borough of Berlin, Germany. In Berlin's 2001 administrative reform it absorbed the former borough of Hohenschönhausen.
Overview
The district contains the Tierpark Berlin in Friedrichsfelde, the larger of Berlin ...
in 1345. Following the end of the lordship of Lichtenberg, the town was transferred to the lord of
Oberbronn
Oberbronn is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Grand Est in north-eastern France.
There is a signposted, historic, circular walk through the village. From an observation tower on the nearby Wasenkoepfel (526m) there are views of the Upp ...
in 1480 and to the count of Linange ( fr) in 1541. Like several cities in the vicinity, many of the inhabitants left during 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 battl ...
and the town was uninhabited from 1649–1651. During the Franco-Prussian War, a brigade of the retreating French army passed through the town on 7 August 1870, during which they quickly mobilized to fight what turned out to be a false alert before slowly advancing to
La Petite-Pierre
La Petite-Pierre (; german: Lützelstein; Rhine Franconian: ''Lítzelstain'') is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. It lies in the historical and cultural region of Alsace (Elsass in German). Petit-Pierr ...
.
Since Erckartswiller lacks significant arable land, the inhabitants have historically lived off of the surrounding forests, with a sizeable number of cobblers. The town also has a windmill, located along the Mittelbach River, which was built before 1630 and continued to function until the early 20th century.
Religion
Saint Apollonia Chapel (French: ''Chapelle Sainte-Apollonie''), dedicated to
Saint Apollonia
Saint Apollonia ( el, Αγία Απολλωνία, cop, Ϯⲁⲅⲓⲁ Ⲁⲡⲟⲗⲗⲟⲛⲓⲁ) was one of a group of virgin martyrs who suffered in Alexandria during a local uprising against the Christians prior to the persecution of Decius ...
, is the town's Protestant church. The church's bell tower dates to the 14th century and the church is mentioned for the first time in 1371. Alterations and expansions were made in 1613, 1669, and 1739 and the church was restored in 1994.
The
sisters
A sister is a woman or a girl who shares one or more parents with another individual; a female sibling. The male counterpart is a brother. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to refer to ...
of Neuenberg built a house in Erckartswiller in 1973. It houses a small permanent team that manages a reception center and spiritual retreat for visitors from not only Alsace, but Germany and Switzerland as well. A chapel was built on the same property in 1994.
Geography
Erckartswiller lies entirely within the
Northern Vosges Regional Nature Park
The Northern Vosges Regional Natural Park (French: ''Parc naturel régional des Vosges du Nord'') is a protected area of woodland, wetland, farmland and historical sites in the region Grand Est in northeastern France. The area was officially des ...
.
Demographics
The inhabitants of Erckartswiller are known as ''Erckartswillerois'' (males) and ''Erckartswilleroises'' (females) in French. Its population was 293 in 2021.Populations légales 2021: 67 Bas-Rhin INSEE