Eguisheim

Eguisheim
Commune

Street in Eguisheim

Coat of arms
Eguisheim

Coordinates: 48°02′37″N 7°18′24″E / 48.0436°N 7.3067°E / 48.0436; 7.3067Coordinates: 48°02′37″N 7°18′24″E / 48.0436°N 7.3067°E / 48.0436; 7.3067
Country France
Region Grand Est
Department Haut-Rhin
Arrondissement Colmar-Ribeauvillé
Canton Wintzenheim
Government
 • Mayor Claude Centlivre
Area1 14.13 km2 (5.46 sq mi)
Population (2007)2 1,572
 • Density 110/km2 (290/sq mi)
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 • Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
INSEE/Postal code 68078 /68420
Elevation 191–764 m (627–2,507 ft)
(avg. 210 m or 690 ft)

1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Eguisheim (German: Egisheim) is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Grand Est in north-eastern France.

Eguisheim produces Alsace wine of high quality. In May 2013 it was voted the «Village préféré des Français» (Favorite French Village), an annual distinction that passes from town to town throughout France.

History

Human presence in the area as early as the Paleolithic age is testified by archaeological excavations. In early historic times it was inhabited by the Gaul tribe of the Senones; the Romans conquered the village and developed here the cultivation of wine.

In the early Middle Ages, the Dukes of Alsace built here a castle (11th century) around which the current settlement developed. The commune was the alleged birthplace of Pope Leo IX in June 1002.

Tourism

A window in Eguisheim with an inscription in Alsatian.

The village centre receives many tourists, as the Alsace "Wine Route" passes the village. The village is also a member of the Les Plus Beaux Villages de France ("The most beautiful villages of France") association. (Its 2013 election is expected to increase visitation by up to 70%.)

Notable people

Leo IX, 1002 - 1054, pope of the Catholic Church from 12 February 1049 to his death in 1054.

International relations

Eguisheim is twinned with

It has also friendship agreements with:

See also

References

    Panoramic view of Eguisheim's centre


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