Thann, Haut-Rhin

Thann
Dànn
Subprefecture and commune
The church in Thann

Coat of arms
Thann
Location within Grand Est region
Thann
Coordinates: 47°48′26″N 7°06′19″E / 47.8072°N 7.1053°E / 47.8072; 7.1053Coordinates: 47°48′26″N 7°06′19″E / 47.8072°N 7.1053°E / 47.8072; 7.1053
Country France
Region Grand Est
Department Haut-Rhin
Arrondissement Thann-Guebwiller
Canton Cernay
Intercommunality Communauté de communes de Thann-Cernay
Government
 • Mayor (2001–2008) Jean-Pierre Baeumler
Area1 12.51 km2 (4.83 sq mi)
Population (2006)2 7,981
 • Density 640/km2 (1,700/sq mi)
Time zone UTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST) UTC+2 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code 68334 /68800
Elevation 328–922 m (1,076–3,025 ft)
(avg. 343 m or 1,125 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.
Position of Thann
Collégiale - Detail of the West Front
La Tour des Sorcières (left) and the River Thur
L'oeil de la sorcière

Thann (French pronunciation: ​[tan]; Alsatian: Dànn, pronounced [tɔn], German: Thann) is a commune in the northeastern French department of Haut-Rhin, in Grand Est.[1] It is the sous-préfecture of the arrondissement of Thann-Guebwiller and part of the canton of Cernay.[2] Its inhabitants are known as Thannois.

Geography

Thann is situated at the foot of the Vosges mountains, at the mouth of the valley of the Thur River. The Thur runs through the middle of the town.

History

In 1635, during the Thirty Years' War, Thann was taken by imperialist forces. A mercenary among those troops described it as a "beautiful city, which lies on a mountain and is strongly fortified."[3]

Demographic evolution

Historical population of Thann, Haut-Rhin
Year1962196819751982199019992006
Population7736831885197788775180287981
From the year 1962 on: No double counting—residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel) are counted only once.

Transport

Thann is 43 km from Colmar and 21 km from Mulhouse. The town is also well situated for the French autoroute network such as the A35 and A36.

The RN66 (Route Nationale 66) passes through Thann, providing an east-west route between Mulhouse and Epinal.

Architectural heritage

Despite sustaining heavy damage in World War I and World War II, Thann contains several old buildings and monuments of significance.

La Collégiale Saint-Thiébaut

Situated in the centre of the old town, the church known as the Collégiale is good example of the style of gothic architecture that flourished in the Rhine valley in the late Middle Ages. The Cathedrals of Strasbourg and Freiburg in Germany are also built in a similar style.

The building owes its name "La collégiale" to the college of monks who moved to Thann from the nearby town of Saint-Amarin in 1442. Construction of the collégiale took more than 200 years, from the end of the 13th Century through the 15th Century, and was completed in 1516 with the 78m tall spire.

For an extensive study of the Thann collegiate church, circumstances of its erection, issues of patronage, and unique sculptural programs, see Assaf Pinkus, Workshops and Patrons of St. Theobald in Thann (Waxmann Verlag: Muenster, Berlin, New York, 2006).

La Tour des Sorcières (The Witches' Tower)

This was a tower in the old town walls, and built in 1411. The bulbous roof dates from 1628. Today the interior houses a museum dedicated to winemaking.

Le Château de l'Engelbourg (Engelbourg Castle)

The ruins of the Engelbourg Castle sit on a hill to the north of the old town. The castle was constructed in the 13th century by the Counts of Ferrette to control the entrance to the valley and ensure the paying of tolls by those wishing to cross the Vosges by way of the Thur valley and the col de Bussang. The castle was destroyed on the orders of Louis XIV. During demolition, one of towers overturned and cracked into sections, one of which forms a large stone ring known locally today as The Witch's Eye (L'oeil de la sorcière).

Education

The town is served by 4 écoles maternelles; 3 écoles élémentaires; 2 collèges (Collège Charles Walch and Collège Rémy Faesch); and 2 lycées (Lycée Professionel Charles Pointet and Lycée Scheurer-Kestner).

Tourism

People

Twin towns

See also

References

  1. ↑ LOI n° 2015-29 du 16 janvier 2015
  2. ↑ INSEE, Commune de Thann (68334)
  3. ↑ Helfferich, Tryntje, The Thirty Years War: A Documentary History (Cambridge, 2009), pp. 290.
  4. ↑ "Railway Gazette: Mulhouse tram-train enters service". 2010-12-13. Retrieved 2010-12-13.
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