Munster (Haut-Rhin)

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Muenster
Munster coat of arms
Munster (France)
Muenster
region Grand Est
Department Haut-Rhin
Arrondissement Colmar-Ribeauvillé
Canton Wintzenheim
Community association Vallée de Munster
Coordinates 48 ° 2 '  N , 7 ° 8'  E Coordinates: 48 ° 2 '  N , 7 ° 8'  E
height 341-794 m
surface 8.64 km 2
Residents 4,606 (January 1, 2017)
Population density 533 inhabitants / km 2
Post Code 68140
INSEE code
Website http://www.ville-munster68.fr/

Munster (German Münster im Alsace , Alsatian Mínschter ) is a French city in the Haut-Rhin department in the Grand Est region (until 2015 Alsace ). The municipality has 4606 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017) and an area of ​​8.64 km².

geography

Panoramic view of Munster

Munster is located in the Vosges at the intersection of two valleys (a larger one in the south towards Metzeral and a smaller one in the northwest towards Soultzeren ), which unite here to form the valley of the Fecht or Münstertal (Vallée de Munster). In the west, the summit of the Hohneck rises 1,362 meters above sea level. To the east the Fecht flows into the plain towards Colmar , which is about 20 km away. The D 417 runs through Munster from Colmar over the gorge pass (1139 m above sea level) to Gérardmer . Munster also has a train station on the Colmar – Metzeral railway line .

history

Around 660 AD, Benedictine monks founded the St. Gregory monastery (Latin monasterium ) near Munster , after which the town and the valley were named. In 1308 the city was walled. In 1354 the city merged with other cities in Alsace to form the League of Ten . In the 16th century, the city joined the Reformation . Mayor Friedrich Zeringer signed the Lutheran concord formula of 1577 for the “City Council of Münster in S. Georgental” .

In the Thirty Years War Munster and its surroundings were badly affected. In 1791, under the influence of the French Revolution , the monastery was dissolved.

From 1871 until the end of World War I , Munster belonged to the German Empire as part of the realm of Alsace-Lorraine and was assigned to the Colmar district in the Upper Alsace district . In the First World War, 85% of the city was destroyed. The area also suffered greatly during World War II . Munster was captured by the Allies on February 5, 1945 .

Population development
year 1910 1962 1968 1975 1982 1990 1999 2007 2017
Residents 5974 4965 4888 4932 4661 4657 4884 4990 4686

politics

Munster is a member and seat of the municipality association Vallée de Munster . In addition to the mayor, the town council has six councilors and 20 other people.

Partnerships

Munster maintains city partnerships to

economy

Munster was a center of the textile industry for a long time , until the decline brought this branch of the economy to a standstill. Furthermore, the plays forestry an important role.

In addition, tourism is increasingly an economic factor. Munster is located in the Ballons des Vosges Regional Nature Park , whose park administration and exhibition center are located here.

The place is famous for the production of the strong smelling Munster cheese , which is made here. The dairy farming required for this has an alpine character: the dairy cattle spend the summer on the mountain heights and overwinter in the valley. For this reason, the area is also nicknamed Kleini Schwitz (Little Switzerland).

Personalities

literature

  • Le Patrimoine des Communes du Haut-Rhin. Flohic Editions, Volume 2, Paris 1998, ISBN 2-84234-036-1 , pp. 891-898.

See also

Web links

Commons : Munster  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. Municipal directory Germany 1900 - Colmar district ( Memento of the original from February 21, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.gemeindeververzeichnis.de