Wasserbourg

Wasserbourg is a village in the northeastern France in Alsace

It is situated in the Vosges Mountains. The summit around Wasserbourg is the “Petit Ballon”. It is a great place to go hiking or ride. There is an important river that created the Valley in which Wasserbourg is built.

Surface area: 947 hectares.

The village was first mentioned in the 9th century. The first village name was Wasenberg until the 17th century, because of the field. The ruins of the Castle Strohbourg built in 1222, by Andréas de Gisberg, still stand today. It was probably inhabited until the 17th century. But the access is forbidden to the public. This castle, situated on the top of a hill, allowed villagers to be informed when an attack was imminent.

This castle appears on the coat of arms of the village.

During the Protestant Reform, only Wasserbourg and Soultzbach stayed Catholic: almost the whole Munster Valley is Protestant. The fact that these villages possess only one Church dates from this period (around 1550) During the First World War, a funicular, which began in Soultzbach-Les-Bains, was suspended above the village. We can observe the relics of its terminus on the “Petit Ballon”.

Two farmers work in the village. On the spring the transhumance is an important event in which cows go to the pastures. These farmers sell milk and Munster cheese. In summer, these farmers have inns (Wassmatt and Strohberg) which offer local specialities. People can discover these traditional moments into the “Maison du fromage” in Gunsbach.

Some people still speak Alsatian. In 1999, most of the population was between 20 and 59 years old.

• Communes of the Haut-Rhin department

• "Journal d'informations municipales 2001-2002"
• "Bulletin communal 1989"

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