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 ...
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 It superseded three former administrative regions, Alsace, Champagne-Ardenne and Lorraine, on 1 January 2016 under the provisional name of Alsace-Champagne-A ...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
In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...
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 ...
fief
A fief (; ) 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 of feudal alle ...
of the
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...
to the Lords of Lichtenberg, who with their successors Hanau-Lichtenberg will remain the lords of the places until the French Revolution. In the rule of Lichtenberg it was assigned to ''Amt Westhofen'' of the same name. In 1332 Westhofen received
Town privileges
Town privileges or borough rights were important features of European towns during most of the second millennium. The city law customary in Central Europe probably dates back to Italian models, which in turn were oriented towards the traditio ...
.
The coat of arms of Westhoffen is thus directly inspired by the seal of the Lichtenbergs: a helm with a swan's neck crest. At this time (1250) the construction of the Saint-Martin church began, one of the rare hall churches of the Gothic period, which was profoundly altered and enlarged in the 19th century, thus giving it a neo-Gothic external appearance then in vogue.
When Jakobus ("James"), Count of Lichtenberg, the last male member of the family, died in 1480, the inheritance was divided between his two nieces, Anna and Elisabeth. Anna had married
Philipp I, Count of Hanau-Lichtenberg
Philipp I, Count of Hanau-Lichtenberg (also known as ''Philipp the Elder''; born: 8 November 1417 at Windecken Castle in Windecken, now part of Nidderau; died: 10 May 1480 in Ingweiler, now called: Ingwiller) was County of Hanau, Count of Hanau. Th ...
(1417–1480), through whom ''Amt Westhofen'' came to the County of Hanau-Lichtenberg that resulted from this marriage.