Krautergersheim 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

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 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 ...

.INSEE commune file
/ref> It lies between Strasbourg and

Obernai Obernai ( Alsatian: ''Owernah''; german: Oberehnheim) commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France. It lies on the eastern slopes of the Vosges mountains. Obernai is a rapidly growing city, its number of inhabitants hav ...

Geography

Krautergersheim is located in the district of Sélestat-Erstein and the township of Obernai. The village is located close to the A 35 connecting Barr and Strasbourg. There are two main areas: *To the west, cabbages, potatoes and corn are raised in loess terraces. *To the east are country meadows, forests, and wet heaths; hemp and flax are also cultivated. The commune occupies an area of . The nearest villages are Meistratzheim, Innenhei, Hindhead and Illkirch-Graffenstaden, the largest, to the south-west. The river Ehn (formerly Ergers) flows through the area.

Toponymy

The commune, known as Ergersheimas, is mentioned as existing in 736 in a document of the Abbey of Murbach Eringisashaim, written in 778. The Abbess of Sainte-Odile, Herrad of Landsberg, mentions the commune in his writings. According to humanist Wimpheling, ''Kraut'', the German word for cabbage, was added to the name in the sixteenth century to distinguish it from a similar-named resort near Molsheim.

History

Roman remains and Merovingian tombs attest to the site being occupied during Roman times. Germans settled the area in the sixth and seventh centuries. Various abbeys mention the village:

Murbach Abbey Murbach Abbey (french: Abbaye de Murbach) was a famous Benedictine monastery in Murbach, southern Alsace, in a valley at the foot of the Grand Ballon in the Vosges. The monastery was founded in 727 by Eberhard, Count of Alsace, and established ...

in 735, Hohenbourg Abbey (Mont Sainte-Odile) in 778 and Baumgarten Abbey in 1050. The commune was destroyed in 1587 during the War of Religion; it was burned by passing mercenaries. During the Thirty Years' War the troops of General Ernst von Mansfeld pillaged and sacked the churches and abbeys, abused the peasants and burned the village. In 1632 Swedish King Gustav II Adolf came to the aid of German Protestants, and occupied Alsace. In 1634, two years after the death of their king, the Swedes left Alsace. From the fourteenth century, many noble families ruled the commune. The Berckheim family had a castle that was later purchased by Bernard Frederick Turckheim and his wife Lili Schoenemann. At the fall of the Empire, Austrian units occupied Krautergersheim for three years. Commune activities include potato farming, the industrial production of sauerkraut, and building a strong artisan and commercial industry.

Sauerkraut

Krautergersheim is known as the

Choucroute ''Choucroute garnie'' (French for ''dressed sauerkraut'') is an Alsatian recipe for preparing sauerkraut with sausages and other salted meats and charcuterie, and often potatoes. Although sauerkraut/cabbage is a traditionally German and Eastern ...

(sauerkraut) capital of the region. A Choucroute Festival is celebrated on the last Sunday of each September. There is a linguistic connection with the name Krautergersheim, since "Kraut" means cabbage in the

local Local may refer to: Geography and transportation * Local (train), a train serving local traffic demand * Local, Missouri, a community in the United States * Local government, a form of public administration, usually the lowest tier of administrat ...

language Language is a structured system of communication. The structure of a language is its grammar and the free components are its vocabulary. Languages are the primary means by which humans communicate, and may be conveyed through a variety of ...

and cabbage is the main ingredient in Sauerkraut/Choucroute.

Population

The inhabitants are called ''Chouvilloises'' and ''Chouvillois'', which refers to the area's connection with cabbage.

Geography

Toponymy

History

Sauerkraut

Population

See also