Ribeauvillé

This article is about the town in Alsace. For the commune in Aisne, see Ribeauville.

Colmar-Ribeauvillé
Ribeauvillé and its castle Ribeauvillé and its castle
Coat of arms of Colmar-Ribeauvillé Coat of arms
Colmar-Ribeauvillé
Location within Alsace region Colmar-Ribeauvillé
Coordinates:
Country	France
Region	Alsace-Champagne-Ardenne-Lorraine
Department	Haut-Rhin
Arrondissement	Colmar-Ribeauvillé
Canton	Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines
Intercommunality	Ribeauvillé et environs
Government
• Mayor (2014–2020)	Jean-Louis Christ
Area1	32.21 km2 (12.44 sq mi)
Population (2006)2	5,161
• Density	160/km2 (410/sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code	68269 / 68150
Elevation	188–989 m (617–3,245 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. 2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Ribeauvillé (French pronunciation: ​[ʁibovije]; Alsatian: Rappschwihr; German: Rappoltsweiler) is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Alsace-Champagne-Ardenne-Lorraine in north-eastern France.

Its inhabitants are called Ribeauvillois.

Geography

The picturesque town is located around 10 miles (16 km) north of Colmar and 75 kilometres (47 mi)south of Strasbourg. It lies at the foot of the Vosges Mountains.

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 Augustine, 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 held a great reputation in the Middle Ages), was re-discovered 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).

Economy

The economy of Ribeauvillé is mainly based on:

• Tourism, because of its historical heritage and several festivals as, for example Fête du Kougelhopf (June), Fête du Vin (July), Fête des Ménétriers (September) and Marché de Noël (Christmas);
• Viticulture: Ribeauvillé is located in the middle of the Alsace wineyards and is home to many viticulturists. Most of them are associated in a winemaking co-operative named Cave de Ribeauvillé (established 1895), one of the oldest in France;
• Manufacturing: There is a Sony factory located nearby.

Notable people

• Philipp Jakob Spener (1635–1705), Lutheran theologian
• Johann Baptist Wendling (1723–1797), flautist and composer
• Jean-Michel Beysser (1753–1794), French general
• Carl August von Steinheil (1801–1870), physicist
• Maurice Lévy (1838–1910), engineer
• Jean-François Klobb (1857–1899), French officer
• Hubert Keller, chef

See also

• Communes of the Haut-Rhin department

References

• INSEE

External links

• Tourist site
• Jewish Encyclopedia