Ribeauvillé

Ribeauvillé ( is the French name of Ràppschwihr (), a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. It was a sub-prefecture of the department until 2015.Décret n° 2014-1720 du 29 décembre 2014 portant suppression des arrondissements de Guebwiller et de Ribeauvillé (département du Haut-Rhin)
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Geography

The town is located around north of Colmar and south of Strasbourg. It lies at the base of the Vosges Mountains.

Climate

Ribeauvillé has an oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification ''Cfb''). The average annual temperature in Ribeauvillé is . The average annual rainfall is with August as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in July, at around , and lowest in January, at around . The highest temperature ever recorded in Ribeauvillé was on 25 July 2019; the coldest temperature ever recorded was on 20 December 2009.

History

Known in the 8th century as ''Rathaldovilare'', the town passed from the Bishops of Basel to the Lords of Rappoltstein, who were among the most famous nobles in Alsace. The Lord of Rappoltstein was the King or Protector of the wandering minstrels of the land, who purchased his protection by paying him a tax.

When the family became extinct in 1673, this office of "King of the Pipers" (''Pfeiferkönig'') passed to the Counts Palatine of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld. The minstrels had a pilgrimage chapel near Rappoltsweiler, dedicated to their patron saint, Maria von Dusenbach, and here they held an annual feast on 8 September. Ribeauvillé was known as ''Rappoltsweiler'' until 1918.

Population

Its inhabitants are called ''Ribeauvillois'' in French.

Sights

Ribeauvillé is in part surrounded by ancient walls, and has many picturesque medieval houses, and two old churches, of St Gregory and St Augustine, both fine Gothic buildings. The town hall contains a valuable collection of antiquities. The Carolabad, a saline spring with a temperature of . (which held a great reputation in the Middle Ages), was re-discovered in 1888, and made Ribeauvillé a spa.

Near the town are the ruins of three famous castles, Saint-Ulrich, Girsberg and Haut-Ribeaupierre, which formerly belonged to the lords of Ribeaupierre (or Rappoltstein).

The forest of Ribeauvillé is home to the largest giant sequoia outside of the United States.

The former synagogue of the Jewish community is located on the Rue de la Synagogue and is currently used as the town's cinema.

Economy

The economy of Ribeauvillé is mainly based on:

* Tourism, because of its historical heritage and several festivals as, for example ''Fête des Ménétriers '' or " Pfifferdaj" (first week-end of September) and ''Marché de Noël'' (Christmas);
* Viticulture: Ribeauvillé is located in the middle of the Alsace wineyards and is home to many viticulturists. Most of them are associated in a winemaking co-operative named ''Cave de Ribeauvillé'' (established 1895), one of the oldest in France;Cooperative websit
alsace.vins-ribeauville.com

* Manufacturing: There is the fabric printing factory Beauvillé and a Cordon Electronics factory located nearby.

Notable people

* Philipp Jakob Spener (1635–1705), Lutheran theologian
* Johann Baptist Wendling (1723–1797), flautist and composer
* Jean-Michel Beysser (1753–1794), French general
* Carl August von Steinheil (1801–1870), physicist
* Maurice Lévy (1838–1910), engineer
* Jean-François Klobb (1857–1899), French officer
* Hubert Keller, chef

See also

* Communes of the Haut-Rhin department

References

External links

Tourist site

Jewish Encyclopedia

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ribeauville
Communes of Haut-Rhin
Subprefectures in France
Jewish communities