Nestled against the slopes of the 391-meter Wangenberg, the small town of Wangen seems to be immersed in a peaceful, fairytale-like setting. With 670 inhabitants, Wangen is wisely tucked away from the noise and hassle of traffic. To preserve it even further, the town?s two medieval gates keep a watchful eye on the town, prohibiting all loading and passage overhead. For the walker, Wangen becomes a corner of the world to explore in peace and quiet. As visitors climb the hill from the Mossig valley, they inevitably come upon the ?Niedertor? or low gate. Until the 17th century, a moat 15 meters wide and 6 meters deep defended the approach. Two other gates were present, the Sondertor and the Motscheltor.
The first traces of the village date back to the 8th century, when Adalbert, the brother of Saint Odile, received the ?Wanga? farm from King Chilperic II. Wangen is derived from the Celtic gwaneg, then from Wang, meaning the grassy slope of a mountain. Wanga was given in possession to the abbey of Saint Etienne and thus became a ?colonge?, a rural organization peculiar to Alsace and some Rhine countries. Only the abbess could levy taxes and administer justice. A castle was built in the center of the village in the 13th century, of which only vestiges remain today. At Wangenmuhl stands the Castel des Garat, inhabited in 1871 by Baron de Garat, director of the Banque de France, who had married the daughter of Schulmeister, Emperor Napoleon I?s spy.
Wangen 03
© Ralph Hammann - Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Ralph_Hammann)
CC BY-SA 4.0
Voir toutes les images
Wangen 03
© Ralph Hammann - Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Ralph_Hammann)
CC BY-SA 4.0
