The Hanau
The Protestant church in Weiterswiller © Jean-Paul Lerch
The area called “The Hanau / Hanauerland” owes its name to the old Hanau Lichtenberg County. As from the 19th century, this name was unofficially designated to the plain at the foot of the Northern Vosges as well as its three main towns: Bouxwiller, Ingwiller and Pfaffenhoffen. For a long time Protestantism strongly marked the village social life. The Deaconess' centre in Neuenberg and the secondary school in Bouxwiller are a few examples.
THE PROTESTANT CHURCH IN BOUXWILLER
The church was built in 1614 (after the Reformation was introduced in 1545) in the centre of the old town, on the site of an older building, dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The church still has a Gothic appearance; it houses a polychrome sandstone pulpit, marked with the dates 1579 and 1614. Paintings made during the second half of the 17th century decorate the gallery balustrades; they illustrate scenes from the Bible and particularly Christ surrounded by the 12 apostles. The Silbermann organ, built in 1778 (and restored in 1968) tops the Presidents’ gallery.
THE FORMER HIGH-SCHOOL IN BOUXWILLER
Opposite the church, where the “Maison des Associations” stands today, there used to be a high-school built in 1750, which replaced a first building built in 1612. This was the forerunner of the present Adrien Zeller high-school and Bastberg secondary school.
THE SIMULTANEOUS SAINT-LÉONARD CHURCH IN DOSSENHEIM-SUR-ZINSEL
The church stands inside a walled enclosure (Site d’Interprétation du Refuge Fortifié). Here, in the past, the inhabitants of Dossenheim had their own cells where they could stock their provisions or seeds, and take refuge during times of trouble.
Following the old simultaneum prescripts, the Catholic altar is in the medieval chancel, vaulted on ogives with and a flat chevet, whereas the Protestant altar is in the nave in a lateral axis.
THE SAINT ADELPH CHURCH IN NEUWILLER-LÈS-SAVERNE
Finished around 1230, it was a church for pilgrimages as well as a parish church. The Reformation was introduced in 1562. After having been divided into two for Catholic and Protestant services, it became a Protestant parish church when the former St. Paul and St. Peter abbey churches were given to the Catholic parish.
THE SAINT JEAN HOSTEL IN NEUWILLER-LÈS-SAVERNE
This luxirious house, built shortly after 1762 in the former Lay-Lords' court (lords of Lichtenberg, then of Hanau-Lichtenberg), presently houses the headquarters of the E.U.L. (« Equipes Unionistes Luthériennes», a Lutheran youth union) which organizes many youth activities in the Church.
19 rue des Cerfs.
THE SAINT-MICHEL PROTESTANT CHURCH IN WEITERSWILLER
The inner walls are covered with beautiful paintings that date from the first half of the 15th century. These paintings were covered up during the Reformation, and only rediscovered in 1906. An ossuary that dates from 1550 has been kept in the old graveyard near the church.
THE PROTESTANT CHURCH IN OBERSOULTZBACH
This church has been Protestant since 1570. Once a medieval sanctuary, only the lower part of the tower remains. The nave dates from 1858 and the inside was completely renovated just after 1900, as you can see by the decor and furnishings. Do not miss Carl Jordan’s big paintings – 7m high – that illustrate the Crucifixion and Resurrection, the Sermon on the Mount where, in a rural setting, Jesus talks to the villagers who are dressed in traditional costumes.
THE PROTESTANT CHURCH IN INGWILLER
Place du Marché. This parish church once dedicated to St. Madeleine, was simultaneous from 1685 to 1893. The old Romanesque chancel became a baptismal chapel in 1959. The nave dates from the 15th century, its oriental part formed by two bays of an elegant but unfinished Gothic hall. Its Renaissance altar (1617) is made of grey sandstone and is finely carved. Its Muhleisen organ dates from 1965. The Protestant and Catholic churches, that stand very close to each other, have tuned their bells in order to create a beautiful harmony with their chimes.
THE DIACONATE HOME IN INGWILLER
This nursing home is attached to the Diaconate Foundation in Mulhouse. It took over the Neuenberg Deaconess' Home, founded in 1877 by pastor Gustave Herrmann and who, for over a century, was very active in the Hanau's social, health and spiritual life. In its compound lies the St. Etienne church, with remarkable stained-glass slab windows, made by the A. Labouret workshop in 1959.
THE LICHTENBERG CASTLE CHAPEL
The chapel is located inside the castle and was built around 1590, generally in a Gothic style. After the French conquest in 1678, this sanctuary was given to the Catholic parish and garrison and was named St. Louis.
Admire its remarkable marble mausoleum made for the count Phillip V (1541-1599). Two slabs also remain from Philip IV’s funerary monument, reminding us of the count’s commitment towards the Reformation.
THE SIMULTANEOUS CHURCH SAINT JACQUES LE MAJEUR IN REIPERTSWILLER
Its nave (which has been modified many times), its Romanesque bell tower and the large chancel topped with ribbed vaults, are beautiful examples of late Gothic art. In 1478, “Jacques le Barbu” (the bearded man - 1416-1480), the last count of Lichtenberg, decided to make it his burial place.
THE PROTESTANT CHURCH IN SCHILLERSDORF
Near the town hall and its parking place are three places that remind us of the emblatic moments of the region’s religious life. In the vicarage (1740) lived Christian Schroeder (1748-1807), an Enlightenment figure, who preached moral technical progress, especially in farming. The Lutheran church, built in 1851, with furniture belonging to that era and modern stained-glass windows, symbolises the continuity of it’s ecclesial institution. At the back of its parking place, a Free Evangelical Lutheran place of worship reminds us how necessary freedom from institutions and doctrines often creates debate and sometimes schisms.
THE PROTESTANT CHURCH IN MULHAUSEN
Only the choir remains from the former Medieval church. Inside there is an impressive Renaissance funeral monument. The nave, destroyed by the 1944-45 winter bombing and rebuilt in 1957-60, is typical of that era's style (very sober with materials left in their natural state). A Mulheisen organ dates from 1963.
THE PROTESTANT CHURCH IN PFAFFENHOFFEN
In order to put an end to the simultaneum, the Protestant parish built a new church that opened in 1885. The architect, Albert Brion, (1843-1910) made it light and harmonious, reminiscent of Romanesque art. There’s a Dalstein-Haerpfer organ of 1889. Pfaffenhoffen holds memories of the Schweitzer family: Albert Schweitzer (1875-1965) and Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-1980) who once lived there.
The key to the chuch is available at the Popular Imagery Museum
THE POPULAR IMAGERY MUSEUM IN PFAFFENHOFFEN
Located at 24 rue du Dr Schweitzer, this museum has a remarkable collection of pictures made with different techniques. They were collected around the region and many of them reflect the Protestant piety of the time through different periods of people’s lives.
From May to September open Wednesdays to Sundays from 2 to 6 pm
From October to April open Wednesdays to Sundays from 2 to 5 pm
Entrance fee, for further details: www.pfaffenhoffen.org
