Gottenhouse
Encyclopedia
Gottenhouse is a commune
in the Bas-Rhin
department in Alsace
in north-eastern France
.
The current name dates from February 21, 1948. The previous name was Gottenhausen.
of Saverne
. The commune is one of the 27 members of the Community of Saverne Region communes.
The commune is small, with just 1.25 square kilometres of land. Gottenhouse is positioned on the left bank of the little River Mosselbach, 2 kilometres to the south of Saverne
, between the Vosges Mountains
and the RN 4 trunk road.
period. The village appears as Godenhusa in a 10th-century list of the assets of the Abbey of Marmoutier
. The settlement appears to have been administratively independent at this stage, but by the beginning of the next century Gottenhouse and Otterswiller
had become part of a single administrative unit. The name of the settlement changed only slightly over the years, to Gotzhuse (1363), Gotenhusen (1371), Gottenhusen (1427), Gottenhausen (1520) and in Alsatian
Gottehüse. After 1871
, with the annexation of Alsace
and Lorraine
by Germany
, many towns and villages adopted rediscovered German language names, and this is when the name Gottenhausen became mainstream. The adoption of a francophone version of the name, Gottenhouse, dates from 1948.
Being an asset of the Abbey of Marmoutier
, the fortunes of Gottenhouse followed those of the abbey. The Bishop of Metz, overlord of Marmoutier, effectively delegated protection of the abbey and its lands to the Geroldseck family, who seem to have abused the bishop's trust. From the middle of the thirteenth century the lands of the abbey effectively came to form a part of the lands of the Geroldsecks. The abbey lands were over time divided into four lordships by the middle of the sixteenth century and it was not until 1705 that the Abbey of Marmoutier
succeeded in reunifying its ancient territories. Under the new regime, between 1790 and 1801 Gottenhouse became part of the Canton of Saverne
before being reattached to that of Marmoutier
.
In terms of economic well being as reflected in demographic changes, Gottenhouse in 1612 included 8 people of burger/bourgeois
standing, being approximately a fortieth of the total population, but by the end of the Thirty Years War the settlement had been abandoned. In 1662 there were, however, 11 families here, and by 1693 there were fourteen families including two that were registered as Protestants. The population increased steadily until the middle of the nineteenth century, with twenty families in 1720 and populations of 158 in 1791, 260 in 1807 and 302 in 1851. Thereafter, in common with many villages in Alsace, the lure of factory wages in the industrialising towns and cities is reflected in a steady decline, to a population of 226 in 1905 and 208 in 1968. Population decline was then arrested only in the 1970s with the growth in individual mobility that followed the general economic growth and increased car ownership associated with the 1960s: during the last three decades the population has risen strongly and in 2005 stood at 373.
On the spiritual side, the parish was affiliated with Marmoutier
until 1685 when it came under the control of Haegen
. In 1757 power over Gottenhouse parish was switched to the parish of Otterswiller
which has ever since retained authority over Gottenhouse.
In the late medieval period there is mention of a Chapel of St Lambert, but the chapel seems to have disappeared before or during the predations of the seventeenth century, which also wrecked the parish church of that time. The current church dates from 1866, but it incorporates a twelfth century bell tower. During the late twentieth century the church attracted the attention of the heritage movement. The casing of the organ was designated an historic monument in 1977, and the interior of the church, including the organ, benefited recently from an extensive restoration programme which started in 1989.
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 Bas-Rhin
Bas-Rhin
Bas-Rhin is a department of France. The name means "Lower Rhine". It is the more populous and densely populated of the two departments of the Alsace region, with 1,079,013 inhabitants in 2006.- History :...
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...
.
The current name dates from February 21, 1948. The previous name was Gottenhausen.
Geography
Gottenhouse is part of the Marmoutier canton and in the ArrondissementArrondissements of France
The 101 French departments are divided into 342 arrondissements, which may be translated into English as districts.The capital of an arrondissement/district is called a subprefecture...
of Saverne
Saverne
Saverne is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France. It is situated on the Rhine-Marne canal at the foot of a pass over the Vosges Mountains, and 45 km N.W...
. The commune is one of the 27 members of the Community of Saverne Region communes.
The commune is small, with just 1.25 square kilometres of land. Gottenhouse is positioned on the left bank of the little River Mosselbach, 2 kilometres to the south of Saverne
Saverne
Saverne is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France. It is situated on the Rhine-Marne canal at the foot of a pass over the Vosges Mountains, and 45 km N.W...
, between the Vosges Mountains
Vosges mountains
For the department of France of the same name, see Vosges.The Vosges are a range of low mountains in eastern France, near its border with Germany. They extend along the west side of the Rhine valley in a northnortheast direction, mainly from Belfort to Saverne...
and the RN 4 trunk road.
Adjacent communes
- * north: SaverneSaverneSaverne is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France. It is situated on the Rhine-Marne canal at the foot of a pass over the Vosges Mountains, and 45 km N.W...
- * north-east: OtterswillerOtterswillerOtterswiller is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.-References:*...
- * south-east: MarmoutierMarmoutierMarmoutier is a commune in the Bas-Rhin département in Alsace in north-eastern France. The origin of the place is the former Marmoutier Abbey, of which the abbey church still serves as the parish church. It is a commune in the Bas-Rhin département in Alsace in north-eastern France.-History:In 590 St...
- * south: Thal-MarmoutierThal-MarmoutierThal-Marmoutier is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.-References:*...
- * south-west: HaegenHaegenHaegen is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.-Geography:Haegen is a mountain village located on the western frontier of Alsace which at this point coincides with the western frontier of the Alemanish dialect area...
History
The soil here is not particularly fertile, which may explain why Gottenhouse shows no evidence of having been settled until well after the Western Roman empireRoman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
period. The village appears as Godenhusa in a 10th-century list of the assets of the Abbey of Marmoutier
Marmoutier Abbey (Alsace)
Marmoutier Abbey, otherwise Maursmünster Abbey, was a Benedictine monastery in the commune of Marmoutier in Alsace.-History:The first foundation here, either in the late 6th century, or by Saint Leobard in 659, was a community of Irish monks under the Rule of St. Columbanus...
. The settlement appears to have been administratively independent at this stage, but by the beginning of the next century Gottenhouse and Otterswiller
Otterswiller
Otterswiller is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.-References:*...
had become part of a single administrative unit. The name of the settlement changed only slightly over the years, to Gotzhuse (1363), Gotenhusen (1371), Gottenhusen (1427), Gottenhausen (1520) and in Alsatian
Alsatian language
Alsatian is a Low Alemannic German dialect spoken in most of Alsace, a region in eastern France which has passed between French and German control many times.-Language family:...
Gottehüse. After 1871
Treaty of Frankfurt (1871)
The Treaty of Frankfurt was a peace treaty signed in Frankfurt on 10 May 1871, at the end of the Franco-Prussian War.- Summary :The treaty did the following:...
, with the annexation of 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...
and Lorraine
Lorraine (province)
The Duchy of Upper Lorraine was an historical duchy roughly corresponding with the present-day northeastern Lorraine region of France, including parts of modern Luxembourg and Germany. The main cities were Metz, Verdun, and the historic capital Nancy....
by Germany
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
, many towns and villages adopted rediscovered German language names, and this is when the name Gottenhausen became mainstream. The adoption of a francophone version of the name, Gottenhouse, dates from 1948.
Being an asset of the Abbey of Marmoutier
Marmoutier Abbey (Alsace)
Marmoutier Abbey, otherwise Maursmünster Abbey, was a Benedictine monastery in the commune of Marmoutier in Alsace.-History:The first foundation here, either in the late 6th century, or by Saint Leobard in 659, was a community of Irish monks under the Rule of St. Columbanus...
, the fortunes of Gottenhouse followed those of the abbey. The Bishop of Metz, overlord of Marmoutier, effectively delegated protection of the abbey and its lands to the Geroldseck family, who seem to have abused the bishop's trust. From the middle of the thirteenth century the lands of the abbey effectively came to form a part of the lands of the Geroldsecks. The abbey lands were over time divided into four lordships by the middle of the sixteenth century and it was not until 1705 that the Abbey of Marmoutier
Marmoutier Abbey (Alsace)
Marmoutier Abbey, otherwise Maursmünster Abbey, was a Benedictine monastery in the commune of Marmoutier in Alsace.-History:The first foundation here, either in the late 6th century, or by Saint Leobard in 659, was a community of Irish monks under the Rule of St. Columbanus...
succeeded in reunifying its ancient territories. Under the new regime, between 1790 and 1801 Gottenhouse became part of the Canton of Saverne
Saverne
Saverne is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France. It is situated on the Rhine-Marne canal at the foot of a pass over the Vosges Mountains, and 45 km N.W...
before being reattached to that of Marmoutier
Marmoutier
Marmoutier is a commune in the Bas-Rhin département in Alsace in north-eastern France. The origin of the place is the former Marmoutier Abbey, of which the abbey church still serves as the parish church. It is a commune in the Bas-Rhin département in Alsace in north-eastern France.-History:In 590 St...
.
In terms of economic well being as reflected in demographic changes, Gottenhouse in 1612 included 8 people of burger/bourgeois
Bourgeoisie
In sociology and political science, bourgeoisie describes a range of groups across history. In the Western world, between the late 18th century and the present day, the bourgeoisie is a social class "characterized by their ownership of capital and their related culture." A member of the...
standing, being approximately a fortieth of the total population, but by the end of the Thirty Years War the settlement had been abandoned. In 1662 there were, however, 11 families here, and by 1693 there were fourteen families including two that were registered as Protestants. The population increased steadily until the middle of the nineteenth century, with twenty families in 1720 and populations of 158 in 1791, 260 in 1807 and 302 in 1851. Thereafter, in common with many villages in Alsace, the lure of factory wages in the industrialising towns and cities is reflected in a steady decline, to a population of 226 in 1905 and 208 in 1968. Population decline was then arrested only in the 1970s with the growth in individual mobility that followed the general economic growth and increased car ownership associated with the 1960s: during the last three decades the population has risen strongly and in 2005 stood at 373.
On the spiritual side, the parish was affiliated with Marmoutier
Marmoutier
Marmoutier is a commune in the Bas-Rhin département in Alsace in north-eastern France. The origin of the place is the former Marmoutier Abbey, of which the abbey church still serves as the parish church. It is a commune in the Bas-Rhin département in Alsace in north-eastern France.-History:In 590 St...
until 1685 when it came under the control of Haegen
Haegen
Haegen is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.-Geography:Haegen is a mountain village located on the western frontier of Alsace which at this point coincides with the western frontier of the Alemanish dialect area...
. In 1757 power over Gottenhouse parish was switched to the parish of Otterswiller
Otterswiller
Otterswiller is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.-References:*...
which has ever since retained authority over Gottenhouse.
In the late medieval period there is mention of a Chapel of St Lambert, but the chapel seems to have disappeared before or during the predations of the seventeenth century, which also wrecked the parish church of that time. The current church dates from 1866, but it incorporates a twelfth century bell tower. During the late twentieth century the church attracted the attention of the heritage movement. The casing of the organ was designated an historic monument in 1977, and the interior of the church, including the organ, benefited recently from an extensive restoration programme which started in 1989.