Le Ban de la Roche (German: Steintal) is the name of an ancient seigneurie and later a county. It is situated in Alsace, France, Département du Bas-Rhin. This small region is referred by its old (Ancien-régime) name, because of its strong identity and it being relatively different from its neighbours (French-speaking: Welche) although in Alsace; Lutheran surrounded by Catholic villages. There was an Amish farm in the village of Neuviller. Le Ban de la Roche was a place of emigration to America.
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The Seigneurie included eight villages: Rothau (seigneurie-seat), Wildersbach, Neuviller (with the hamlets la Haute Goutte and Riangoutte), Waldersbach, Bellefosse, Belmont, Fouday (with the hamlet Trouchy) and Solbach.
One of the most important lords of Le Ban de la Roche was Georges-Jean de Veldenz (Georg Hans von Veldenz) (1543–1592), son-in-law of the King of Sweden, founder of the city of Phalsbourg. He bought le Ban de la Roche because of its mining possibilities as he was an industrialist besides being a Count Palatine.
There were many witchcraft trials in the years 1620-1630.
Ban de la Roche was on the Amish centre. There was an Amish farm ("cense" in the local way of speaking) called Sommerhof in La Haute Goutte.
From here, many migrants travelled to the United States. The first known travelled to Pennsylvania on ship Princess Augusta in 1736. The 19th century [migration]s were rather to Ohio and Illinois.
It was a land of pietism and religious dissidence.
Le Ban de la Roche is twinned with Woolstock in Iowa, where many Bandelarochians migrated.