Schorbach

Schorbach is a commune in the Moselle department of the Grand Est administrative region in north-eastern France.

For the river of Hesse, Germany, see Schorbach (Grenff).
Schorbach
Commune
A general view of Schorbach
Coat of arms
Location of Schorbach
Schorbach
Schorbach
Coordinates: 49°04′48″N 7°24′24″E
CountryFrance
RegionGrand Est
DepartmentMoselle
ArrondissementSarreguemines
CantonBitche
IntercommunalityCC du Pays de Bitche
Government
 • Mayor (2008–2014) Paul Dellinger
Area
1
13.36 km2 (5.16 sq mi)
Population
 (2017-01-01)[1]
540
 • Density40/km2 (100/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
57639 /57230
Elevation273–413 m (896–1,355 ft)
(avg. 415 m or 1,362 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

The village belongs to the Pays de Bitche. As of 2013 Schorbach had 551 residents. The residents refer to themselves as Schorbachois, and are also known by the sobriquet Wurschtfresser, a name that refers to the annual Wurschtfescht (sausage feast) that is celebrated on Saint Rémi's day.[2]

Geography

Schorbach is a few kilometres South of the border with the Palatinate (Germany), North-east of Bitche. The commune is part of the Palatinate Forest-North Vosges Biosphere Reserve.

History

The name Schor-Bach, probably meaning turtle-stream, is first seen in 1210. The place was long part of Zweibrücken-Bitsch.

Schorbach was an early seat of a church congregation, served by the Hornbach monastery, and until the French revolution it remained the central church for the surrounding villages.

At the start of World War II, the inhabitants were evacuated to the Département of Charente. Schorbach was liberated by American troops on the 16th of March 1945.

Population
Year1962196819751982199019992007
Inhabitants678694695636649621589

Culture

The church of Saint Rémi, built on the site of a previous church inaugurated in 1143, on a rock overlooking the town, was the central parish church of the Pays de Bitche for many centuries. The founder of the church is unknown, but local history frequently ascribes the foundation to Berthold von Eberstein, whose son Eberhard III resigned his right of patronage at the nearby Sturzelbronn abbey. Eberhard's daughter married Count Henri II of Zweibrücken-Bitsch.

A square tower survives from the time of the foundation of the church, but the nave is Gothic. In 1774 the church, which had fallen into ruin, was comprehensively restored.

Schorbach is also known for the Ossarium at the entrance of the old churchyard, which dates from Roman times.

Church of Saint-Rémy
Roman Ossarium

References
  1. "Populations légales 2017". INSEE. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  2. Un sobriquet du pays de Bitche in Les Cahiers Lorrains, n°3, 1960.
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