Ribeauvillé
Encyclopedia
Ribeauvillé is a commune
in the Haut-Rhin
department in Alsace
in north-eastern France
.
Its inhabitants are called Ribeauvillois.
The picturesque town is located around 10 miles (16 km) north of Colmar
and 75 kilometres (47 mi)south of Strasbourg
.
When the family became extinct in 1673, this office of "king of the pipers" (Pfeiferkönig) passed to the counts palatine of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld. The minstrels had a pilgrimage chapel near Rappoltsweiler, dedicated to their patron saint, Maria von Dusenbach, and here they held an annual feast on 8 September. Ribeauvillé was commonly known as Rappoltsweiler until the 19th century.
, both fine Gothic buildings. The town hall contains a valuable collection of antiquities. The Carolabad, a saline spring with a temperature of 64 F., which had a great repute in the Middle Ages, was rediscovered in 1888, and made Rappoltsweiler a watering-place.
Near the town are the ruins of three famous castles, Saint-Ulrich
, Girsberg
and Haut-Ribeaupierre
, which formerly belonged to the lords of Ribeaupierre (or Rappoltstein).
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...
.
Its inhabitants are called Ribeauvillois.
The picturesque town is located around 10 miles (16 km) north of Colmar
Colmar
Colmar is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.It is the capital of the department. Colmar is also the seat of the highest jurisdiction in Alsace, the appellate court....
and 75 kilometres (47 mi)south of Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
.
History
Known in the 8th century as Rathaldovilare, the town passed from the bishops of Basel to the lords of Rappoltstein, who were among the most famous nobles in Alsace. The lord of Rappoltstein was the king or protector of the wandering minstrels of the land, who purchased his protection by paying him a tax.When the family became extinct in 1673, this office of "king of the pipers" (Pfeiferkönig) passed to the counts palatine of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld. The minstrels had a pilgrimage chapel near Rappoltsweiler, dedicated to their patron saint, Maria von Dusenbach, and here they held an annual feast on 8 September. Ribeauvillé was commonly known as Rappoltsweiler until the 19th century.
Sights
Ribeauvillé is in part surrounded by ancient walls, and has many picturesque medieval houses, and two old churches, of St Gregory and St AugustineAugustine of Hippo
Augustine of Hippo , also known as Augustine, St. Augustine, St. Austin, St. Augoustinos, Blessed Augustine, or St. Augustine the Blessed, was Bishop of Hippo Regius . He was a Latin-speaking philosopher and theologian who lived in the Roman Africa Province...
, both fine Gothic buildings. The town hall contains a valuable collection of antiquities. The Carolabad, a saline spring with a temperature of 64 F., which had a great repute in the Middle Ages, was rediscovered in 1888, and made Rappoltsweiler a watering-place.
Near the town are the ruins of three famous castles, Saint-Ulrich
Château de Saint-Ulrich
The Château de Saint-Ulrich is one of three castles which dominates the commune of Ribeauvillé in the Haut-Rhin département of France...
, Girsberg
Château du Girsberg
The Château du Girsberg is one of three castles which dominates the commune of Ribeauvillé in the Haut-Rhin département of France. It stands at an altitude of 528 m.It was the Lords of Ribeaupierre who built the castle in the 13th century, then named Stein...
and Haut-Ribeaupierre
Château du Haut-Ribeaupierre
The Château du Haut-Ribeaupierre is one of three castles which dominates the commune of Ribeauvillé in the Haut-Rhin département of France. Situated at an altitude of 642 m, it dominates the other two.It is the oldest of the Ribeaupierre's castles, its existence being known from 1084...
, which formerly belonged to the lords of Ribeaupierre (or Rappoltstein).
Notable people
- Philipp Jakob SpenerPhilipp Jakob SpenerPhilipp Jakob Spener was a German Christian theologian known as the "Father of Pietism."...
(1635–1705), Lutheran theologian - Johann Baptist Wendling (1723–1797), composer
- Jean-Michel BeysserJean-Michel BeysserJean-Michel Beysser was a French general.-Before 1789 :He began his military career as a dragoon in the régiment de Lorraine from 1769 to 1778. He was later part of the armée de Bretagne from 1778 to 1781, apparently as a surgeon-major...
(1753–1794), French general - Carl August von SteinheilCarl August von SteinheilCarl August von Steinheil was a German physicist, inventor, engineer and astronomer.-Biography:Steinheil was born in Ribeauvillé, Alsace. He studied law in Erlangen since 1821, then astronomy in Göttingen and Königsberg. He continued his studies in astronomy and physics when he started living on...
(1801–1870), physicist - Maurice LévyMaurice LévyMaurice Lévy was a French engineer and member of the Institut de France.Lévy was born in Ribeauvillé in Alsace. Educated at the École Polytechnique, where he was a student of Adhémar Jean Claude Barré de Saint-Venant, and the École des Ponts et Chaussées, he became an engineer in 1863...
(1838–1910), engineer - Jean-François KlobbJean-François KlobbJean-François Arsène Klobb was a French colonial officer.Born on June 29, 1857 in Ribeauvillé in the department of Haut-Rhin in Alsace, he was sent as an officer to French Sudan...
(1857–1899), French officer - Hubert KellerHubert KellerHubert Keller is a noted French chef, who is known for his signature restaurants, Fleur de Lys in San Francisco and Las Vegas.- Biography :Keller was born in Alsace, France, and graduated from the École Hoteliere in Strasbourg...
, chef