Phalsbourg
Encyclopedia
Phalsbourg is a commune
in the Moselle
department in Lorraine
in north-eastern France
, with a population of about 5000.
In 1911, it was a town of Germany
, in the imperial province of Alsace-Lorraine
, lying high on the west slopes of the Vosges, 25 miles (40 km) north-west of Strasbourg by rail. In 1911, it contained an Evangelical and a Roman Catholic church, a synagogue and a teachers' seminary. Its industries include the manufacture of gloves, straw hats and liqueurs, and quarrying.
The principality of Phalsbourg, of which this town was the capital, originally a part of Luxembourg
, afterwards belonged in turn to the bishop of Metz, the bishop of Strasbourg and the duke of Lorraine, and passed into the possession of France
in 1661. The town was of importance as commanding the passes of the Vosges
, and was strongly fortified by Vauban
in 1680. These fortifications resisted the Allies in 1814 and 1815, and the Germans for four months in 1870, but they were taken on 12 December of that year, and have since been razed.
The United States Air Forces in Europe
built an air base
near the city in 1953. The base was returned in 1967 to the French government, which redesignated it as Camp de la Horie. The base is currently used by the French military's 1er Régiment d'Hélicoptères de Combat.
The town is home to the annual Erckmann-Chatrian summer festival. It is also the birthplace of Georges Mouton
.
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 Moselle
Moselle
Moselle is a department in the east of France named after the river Moselle.- History :Moselle is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790...
department in Lorraine
Lorraine (région)
Lorraine is one of the 27 régions of France. The administrative region has two cities of equal importance, Metz and Nancy. Metz is considered to be the official capital since that is where the regional parliament is situated...
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...
, with a population of about 5000.
In 1911, it was a town of 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...
, in the imperial province of Alsace-Lorraine
Alsace-Lorraine
The Imperial Territory of Alsace-Lorraine was a territory created by the German Empire in 1871 after it annexed most of Alsace and the Moselle region of Lorraine following its victory in the Franco-Prussian War. The Alsatian part lay in the Rhine Valley on the west bank of the Rhine River and east...
, lying high on the west slopes of the Vosges, 25 miles (40 km) north-west of Strasbourg by rail. In 1911, it contained an Evangelical and a Roman Catholic church, a synagogue and a teachers' seminary. Its industries include the manufacture of gloves, straw hats and liqueurs, and quarrying.
The principality of Phalsbourg, of which this town was the capital, originally a part of Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
, afterwards belonged in turn to the bishop of Metz, the bishop of Strasbourg and the duke of Lorraine, and passed into the possession of 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...
in 1661. The town was of importance as commanding the passes of the Vosges
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 was strongly fortified by Vauban
Vauban
Sébastien Le Prestre, Seigneur de Vauban and later Marquis de Vauban , commonly referred to as Vauban, was a Marshal of France and the foremost military engineer of his age, famed for his skill in both designing fortifications and breaking through them...
in 1680. These fortifications resisted the Allies in 1814 and 1815, and the Germans for four months in 1870, but they were taken on 12 December of that year, and have since been razed.
The United States Air Forces in Europe
United States Air Forces in Europe
The United States Air Forces in Europe is the United States Air Force component of U.S. European Command, a Department of Defense unified command, and is one of two Air Force Major Commands outside of the continental United States, the other being the Pacific Air Forces...
built an air base
Phalsbourg-Bourscheid Air Base
Phalsbourg-Bourscheid Air Base is a former United States Air Force base in France. It is located in the Moselle département, about 2 miles west of the town of Phalsbourg, on the north side of the Route nationale 4 Highway adjacent to the village Saint-Jean-Kourtzerode; 29 miles northwest of...
near the city in 1953. The base was returned in 1967 to the French government, which redesignated it as Camp de la Horie. The base is currently used by the French military's 1er Régiment d'Hélicoptères de Combat.
The town is home to the annual Erckmann-Chatrian summer festival. It is also the birthplace of Georges Mouton
Georges Mouton
Georges Mouton, comte de Lobau was a French soldier and political figure who rose to the rank of Marshal of France.-Biography:Born in Phalsbourg, Lorraine, he enlisted in the French Revolutionary Army in 1792...
.