Mollau

Mollau
region	Grand Est
Department	Haut-Rhin
Arrondissement	Thann-Guebwiller
Canton	Cernay
Community association	Vallée de Saint-Amarin
Coordinates	47 ° 52 ' N , 6 ° 58' E Coordinates: 47 ° 52 ' N , 6 ° 58' E
height	452-1,195 m
surface	8.82 km 2
Residents	349 (January 1, 2017)
Population density	40 inhabitants / km 2
Post Code	68470
INSEE code	68213
	; Mairie Mollau

Mollau is a French commune with 349 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017) in the Haut-Rhin department of the Grand Est region (until 2015 Alsace ). It is part of the Thann-Guebwiller arrondissement and the Vallée de Saint-Amarin municipal association .

geography

The municipality of Mollau is located in the southern Upper Vosges . The nearest town is Thann , 14 kilometers away, Cernay is 20 kilometers and Mulhouse is 30 kilometers from Mollau.

The 8.82 square kilometers comprehensive municipality of Mollau extends along the Rimbachrunz, a right tributary of the Thur , over part of the cross-valley between Mollau Storckensohn and up to the ridge between the basins of the Thur and Doller . This ridge, which lies transversely to the main axis of the Vosges, marks the southern border of the municipal area. In the south-western corner of the municipality, the highest point is reached at 1195 meters above sea level.

Three quarters of the municipal area are covered by forests, the Forêt communale de Mollau has the largest share . Since the lower elevations in the municipality are over 450 meters above sea level, economic arable farming is not possible, so that in the valley there are meadows and pastures that occasionally stretch up to the higher mountain regions.

Neighboring communities of Mollau are Husseren-Wesserling in the north and west, Mitzach in the north, Rimbach-près-Masevaux in the south and Storckensohn in the west.

history

Mollau is one of the oldest villages in the Thur Valley area. From 1212 to 1803 it formed a Meiertum with the communities of Husseren, Storckensohn and Urbes and belonged to the Murbach Abbey . In 1216 the place is documented as Mulenowe (in front of the mill ).

Copper was mined in and around Mollau until the end of the 19th century. In 1801 the place name was briefly spelled Mollait .

Since 1996 the association "Agriculture & Paysages" has been trying to recultivate the forested landscape around the Thur Valley. Great progress has been made in Mollau with a farm owned by the mayor of the community. A special feature is the Mollaus automatic wood boiler, which burns wood chips from undergrowth, tree tops, firewood and heating wood with no commercial value and uses the heat for the community hall, the church, the community center, the school, the activity center and nine residential buildings.

Population development

year	1962	1968	1975	1982	1990	1999	2006	2017
Residents	437	480	412	397	397	419	424	349
Sources: Cassini and INSEE

Attractions

Church of John the Baptist ( Église Saint-Jean-Baptiste ) from 1770, equipped with a Callinet organ

Johanneskirche

Economy and Infrastructure

Eight farms are located in the community (growing grain, breeding cattle, sheep and goats). Most of the workers from the village commute to the industrial areas of the Thur Valley.

The municipality of Mollau is connected by two roads (via Urbès and Husseren-Wesserling) to the heavily frequented Route nationale 66 ( European route 512 ) from Épinal via the Col de Bussang to Mulhouse .