Scherwiller (; ) is a commune 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 Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

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 northeastern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

.INSEE commune file
/ref> Residents are referred to as ''Scherwillerois'' in French.

Geography

The town is situated on the wine route at an altitude of . Scherwiller is located at the mouth of the valleys of Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines to the east, and

Villé Villé (; ) is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department and Grand Est region of 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 comm ...

at north, west of

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

, Center Alsace, and south of Châtenois.

History

The name was mentioned early in the form ''Sceravillare'' or ''Scerwiller'', designating a hamlet on the edge of the Scheer, the former name of the Aubach River, which runs through the village. Scherwiller is located at the intersection of two Roman roads: on an east–west axis the salt road from the Villé Valley, and on a north–south axis a Roman road, two milestones of which are still identifiable in the town itself. This explains the presence of Ortenbourg Castle during the 12th century.

Economy

Located in the heart of Alsace, the village is built in the middle of a vineyard, extending along the slopes downwards from Ortenbourg and Ramstein castles.