Turckheim

Turckheim
Commune
Entrance to Turckheim through the Porte de France
Coat of arms
Location of Turckheim
Turckheim
Turckheim
Coordinates: 48°05′14″N 7°16′52″E
CountryFrance
RegionGrand Est
DepartmentHaut-Rhin
ArrondissementColmar-Ribeauvillé
CantonWintzenheim
IntercommunalityColmar
Government
 • Mayor (2014–2020) Jean-Marie Balduf[1]
Area
1
16.46 km2 (6.36 sq mi)
Population
 (2017-01-01)[2]
3,776
 • Density230/km2 (590/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
68230 /68230
Elevation219–840 m (719–2,756 ft)
(avg. 240 m or 790 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
Imperial City of Turckheim

Reichsstadt Türkheim (de)
Ville libre de Turckheim (fr)
1312–1648
Coat of arms
StatusFree Imperial City of the Holy Roman Empire
CapitalTurckheim
GovernmentRepublic
Historical eraMiddle Ages
• Gained Imp. immediacy
1312
• Received city rights,
    joined the Décapole
 
1354
• Ceded to France
24 October 1648
• Treaties of Nijmegen
    end the Décapole

26 January 1679
Preceded by		Succeeded by
Duchy of Swabia
Early modern France
Today part of France
Not to be confused with Türkheim.

Turckheim (Alsatian: Tercka ; German: Türkheim) is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. It lies west of Colmar, on the eastern slopes of the Vosges mountains.

History

Archeological finds indicate the area was already inhabited during the time of Ancient Rome. When the Germanic tribes invaded and crossed the Rhine, the Thuringii settled here, and possibly gave their name to the town: first Thorencohaime, then Thuringheim. During the High Middle Ages Thuringheim is listed as belonging in part to the abbey of Munster, an din part to the manor of Haut-Landsberg, centered in Kientzheim.

Turckheim became a free imperial city in 1312, and in 1315 the construction of ramparts was begun, which are still in good condition. It had city rights and market rights already in 1354, and from 1354 to 1679 Turckheim was part of the Décapole, a league of ten free imperial cities of the Holy Roman Empire. After the Peace of Westphalia (1648), Turckheim and the other Alsatian towns refused to swear allegiance to the French king.

During the Franco-Dutch War, the village of Turckheim was taken by French armies led by Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne, Viscount of Turenne, who subsequently defeated armies of Austria and Brandenburg in what became known as the Battle of Turckheim (1675). Features of the village of Turckheim, especially the gates, help identify the town in a fan currently in the Fan Museum in Greenwich, England.[3] In 1678, with the signing of the Treaties of Nijmegen, the French king assumed control over Turckheim.

In 1871, at the end of the Franco-Prussian War, the town, with the rest of the Alsace, became part of the German Empire; in 1918, it reverted to France again.

Turckheim is one of only a few remaining towns in France with a municipal night watchman, who makes the rounds at 10PM between 1 May and 31 October, and on three Saturdays preceding Christmas. Maintained for touristic reason, the position commemorates a 13th-c event in which the night watchman prevented a fire.[4][5]

Notable residents
  • Victor Sieg (1837 – 1899), composer and organist, was born in Turckheim. Rue Victor Sieg is named in his honour.[6]

See also

References
  1. https://www.turckheim.fr/le-conseil-municipal/
  2. "Populations légales 2017". INSEE. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  3. Cowen, Pamela (2003). A Fanfare for the Sun King: Unfolding Fans for Louis XIV. Third Millennium Information. pp. 66–69. ISBN 9781903942208.
  4. "découvrir turkheim". Turkheim.fr (in French). Retrieved 3 April 2016.
  5. Deslais, Pierre (2014). L'Alsace, géographie curieuse et insolite (in French). Éditions Ouest France. p. 83. ISBN 978-2-7373-6364-1.
  6. Billich, André (1975). Histoire d'une ancienne ville impériale: Turckheim, pp. 83 and 171. Éditions Alsatia (in French)
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