Durlinsdorf
Encyclopedia
Durlinsdorf is a commune
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...

 in the Haut-Rhin
Haut-Rhin
Haut-Rhin is a département of the Alsace region of France, named after the Rhine river. Its name means Upper Rhine. Haut-Rhin is the smaller and less populated of the two departements of Alsace, although is still densely populated compared to the rest of France.-Subdivisions:The department...

 department in Alsace
Alsace
Alsace is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France, with ca. 220 inhabitants per km²...

 in north-eastern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

.

Administration

Durlinsdorf is a part of the Sundgau
Sundgau
Sundgau is a geographical territory on the eastern edge of France that was once a principality of the Holy Roman Empire. The name Sundgau derives from Alemannic German, which means "South County" ....

 region, in the arrondissement of Altkirch
Arrondissement of Altkirch
The arrondissement of Altkirch is an arrondissement of France, located in the Haut-Rhin département, in the Alsace région. It has four cantons and 111 communes.-Cantons:The cantons of the arrondissement of Altkirch are:# Altkirch# Dannemarie...

 and the canton of Ferrette.

Economy

Local employment generally not being sufficient to support all the residents of the town, a majority work in nearby Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

. However, the following companies do operate in and around Durlinsdorf, and contribute to the local economy.
  • A sawmill
    Sawmill
    A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....

     employing more than 20 people specializing in the frames and construction of country cottages.
  • A butcher
    Butcher
    A butcher is a person who may slaughter animals, dress their flesh, sell their meat or any combination of these three tasks. They may prepare standard cuts of meat, poultry, fish and shellfish for sale in retail or wholesale food establishments...

     shop which also operates as a restaurant
    Restaurant
    A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...

    .
  • A wine
    Wine
    Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...

     and liquor shop.
  • A company specializing in outdoor party and reception
    Party
    A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, or recreation. A party will typically feature food and beverages, and often music and dancing as well....

     equipment.
  • A photographer.

Church

Sts Peter
Saint Peter
Saint Peter or Simon Peter was an early Christian leader, who is featured prominently in the New Testament Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. The son of John or of Jonah and from the village of Bethsaida in the province of Galilee, his brother Andrew was also an apostle...

 and Paul
Paul of Tarsus
Paul the Apostle , also known as Saul of Tarsus, is described in the Christian New Testament as one of the most influential early Christian missionaries, with the writings ascribed to him by the church forming a considerable portion of the New Testament...

, Durlinsdorf's historic Roman Catholic church, is built at the end of a rocky outcrop which overlooks the village and the valley of Grumbach
Grumbach
Grumbach is a municipality in the district of Kusel, in Rhineland-Palatinate, western Germany....

. Local tradition holds that the church is built on the site of an old Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....

 camp, and that the bell-tower is built on the remains of a Roman observation tower
Observation tower
An observation tower is a structure used to view events from a long distance and to create a full 360 degree range of vision. They are usually at least tall and made from stone, iron, and wood. Many modern towers are also used as TV towers, restaurants, or churches...

. During renovations in 1906 pieces of a massive foundation were uncovered and quickly attributed to the Romans, though without legitimate archaeological research. The current church is the second to occupy the site, the first having collapsed due to foundation shifting. The current bell-tower is thought to date to the 10th or 11th century.

Wild roses of Durlinsdorf - a legend

When the Swedes
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

 devastated Sundgau
Sundgau
Sundgau is a geographical territory on the eastern edge of France that was once a principality of the Holy Roman Empire. The name Sundgau derives from Alemannic German, which means "South County" ....

 in the year 1632, they also sacked the village of Durlinsdorf. The inhabitants took refuge in the forests of the Jura
Jura mountains
The Jura Mountains are a small mountain range located north of the Alps, separating the Rhine and Rhone rivers and forming part of the watershed of each...

 and remained there until the departure of the Swedes. When returning to their destroyed homes, they discovered an amazing sight: the deep depression in which Durlinsdorf is nested was covered with wild rose
Rose
A rose is a woody perennial of the genus Rosa, within the family Rosaceae. There are over 100 species. They form a group of erect shrubs, and climbing or trailing plants, with stems that are often armed with sharp prickles. Flowers are large and showy, in colours ranging from white through yellows...

s which, since the town's destruction had invaded and entirely occupied the village. The peasants rebuilt Durlinsdorf but preserved some wild roses in their gardens. Even today you can find these roses around the older homes.
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