Barembach is a commune in the

Bas-Rhin Bas-Rhin () is a department in Alsace which is a part of the Grand Est region of France. The name means 'Lower Rhine', referring to its lower altitude among the two French Rhine departments: it is downstream of the Haut-Rhin (Upper Rhine) de ...

department in the

Grand Est Grand Est (; ) is an Regions of France, administrative region in northeastern France. It superseded three former administrative regions, Alsace, Champagne-Ardenne and Lorraine, on 1 January 2016 under the provisional name of Alsace-Champagne-A ...

region of north-eastern

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Geography

Barembach is located in a valley perpendicular to the Bruche valley some 25 km west by south-west of Illkirch and 30 km north-west of

Sélestat Sélestat (; Alsatian language, Alsatian: ''Schlettstàdt''; German: ''Schlettstadt'') is a Communes of France, commune in the Grand Est region of France. An administrative division (Subprefectures in France, sous-préfecture) of the Bas-Rhin Depa ...

at 350 metres above sea level. The Barembach Forest covers most of the commune with several summits including ''Pépinière'' (666 metres), ''Barraque des Bœufs'' (781 metres), ''Ordon Saxe'' (690 metres), and ''Haut de la Brûlée'' (715 metres). Access to the commune is by the D204 road from Grendelbruch in the north-east which passes through the north-eastern corner of the commune and continues to

Schirmeck Schirmeck () is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. It is the location of the Alsace-Moselle Memorial museum. The name of the town means "protected place". In Lorraine dialect it is called "Chermec". ...

. Access to the village is by the D193 which branches off the D204 in the commune. The D1420 from

Muhlbach-sur-Bruche Muhlbach-sur-Bruche () is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. See also * Communes of the Bas-Rhin department The following is a list of the 514 communes of the Bas-Rhin department of France. The co ...

in the north-east passes along the northern border as it goes south-west to

Fouday Fouday (; ; ) is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. At the start of 1975 Fouday was merged with the neighboring settlements of Waldersbach, Belmont and Bellefosse: the resulting aggregation was calle ...

. The ''Barembach'' river rises in the south-east of the commune and flows north-west to join the Bruche just north-west of the commune. The ''Bornichon'' river rises in the south of the commune and flows north to join the Barembach at the village.

History

Barembach was completely destroyed in 1875 by a violent fire. After the reconstruction of the village almost immediately after the disaster, the economy first restarted with livestock and forestry. There were also mills and sawmills producing

galoshes Galoshes are a type of overshoe or rubber boot that is put on over shoes to keep them from getting muddy or wet during inclement weather. They come in both low cut and high, and in both slip-on and buckle-front versions. Names The English wo ...

which later changed to weaving. An enterprise was set up by Camille Glaszmann which specialised in

Theatrical property A prop, formally known as a (theatrical) property, is an object actors use on stage or screen during a performance or screen production. In practical terms, a prop is considered to be anything movable or portable on a stage or a set, distinct ...

. The company was sold in 1964 and continued by Mecatherm who extended the buildings. Shortly before Liberation the village was the headquarters of Marshal

Jean de Lattre de Tassigny Jean Joseph Marie Gabriel de Lattre de Tassigny (2 February 1889 – 11 January 1952) was a French ''général d'armée'' during World War II and the First Indochina War. He was posthumously elevated to the dignity of Marshal of France in 1952. ...

and served as a springboard to free the region. Barembach previously included part of the commune of Rothau on the north shore of the Rothaine. Barembach appears as ''Barenbach'' on the 1750

Cassini Map The Cassini Map or Academy's Map is the first topographic and geometric map made of the Kingdom of France as a whole. It was compiled by the Cassini family, mainly César-François Cassini (Cassini III) and his son Jean-Dominique Cassini (Cas ...

and the same on the 1790 version. The name ''Barembach'' originated from the German ''Bach'' meaning "stream" and ''Bär'' meaning "bear".

Heraldry

Administration

List of Successive

Mayors In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

Demography

The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Barembachois'' or ''Barembachoises'' in French.

Culture and heritage

Civil heritage

The commune has many buildings and sites that are registered as historical monuments: *Houses and Farmhouses (19th century) *The War Memorial at Route du Maréchal-De-Lattre-de-Tassigny (20th century) *A School at 14 Rue Principale (20th century) *The Town Hall / School at 15 Rue Principale (20th century) The Town Hall / School contains several items that are registered as historical objects: **A Heating Stove (19th century) **A Monumental Cross: Christ on the Cross and the Virgin and child (Modern)

Religious heritage

The commune has several religious buildings and sites that are registered as historical monuments: *The Barembach Cemetery on the D204 (19th century) The Cemetery contains several items that are registered as historical objects: **A Cemetery Cross (1761) **Funeral Monuments (18th century) *The Schirmeck Cemetery at Rue du Douar (19th century) The Cemetery contains many items that are registered as historical objects: **Funeral Monuments (19th century) **Funeral Crosses (19th century) **A Monumental Cross (No. 1) (1849) **A Monumental Cross: Christ on the Cross (No. 2) (18th century) **A Cemetery Cross: Christ on the Cross (1811) *The Chartier Family Funeral Chapel on the D204 (20th century) *The Vogt Family Funeral Chapel at Rue du Douar (20th century) *The Church of Saint-Georges at Place de l'Église (1877) The Church contains several items that are registered as historical objects: **A

Chalice A chalice (from Latin 'cup', taken from the Ancient Greek () 'cup') is a drinking cup raised on a stem with a foot or base. Although it is a technical archaeological term, in modern parlance the word is now used almost exclusively for the ...

with

Paten A paten or diskos is a small plate used for the celebration of the Eucharist (as in a mass). It is generally used during the liturgy itself, while the reserved sacrament are stored in the tabernacle in a ciborium. Western usage In many Wes ...

(19th century) **A

Monstrance A monstrance, also known as an ostensorium (or an ostensory), is a vessel used in Roman Catholic, Old Catholic, High Church Lutheran and Anglican churches for the display on an altar of some object of piety, such as the consecrated Eucharisti ...

(19th century) **The Furniture in the Church **The Church Organ (1886) *A Presbytery at 16 Rue du Presbytère (19th century) *3 Wayside Crosses are registered as historical objects.Ministry of Culture, Palissy

Notable people linked to the commune

*Marshal

had his headquarters in the village. The street from the cemetery to the church bears his name. There is a monument to him on this street near the church.

External links

Barembach official website
{{authority control Communes of Bas-Rhin