Kingersheim

Kingersheim (French pronunciation: [kiŋ(ɡ)əʁsaim] ^ⓘ; German pronunciation: [kɪŋɐsˌhaɪ̯m]; Alsatian: Kingersche) is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department, Grand Est (formerly Alsace), northeastern France. It forms part of the Mulhouse Alsace Agglomération, the inter-communal local government body for the Mulhouse conurbation. A few centuries ago, it was still a small village but nowadays Kingersheim has become the eighth municipality of the Haut-Rhin. The town is mainly a residential district but we can also find an important commercial area which extends up to Wittenheim. Its inhabitants are called Kingersheimois and Kingersheimoises.

Located in the Alsace plain, the town of Kingersheim has almost no hills.

Since the 1970s, its population increased a lot, owing to its situation in the urban agglomeration of Mulhouse. During these last years, the urbanization got denser, especially because of the construction of new houses and the construction of a "Green District".

Kingersheim first appeared in 1195, and was named Kemingsen. Its origin is from a legend, concerning a hunting lodge probably erected in the historic center. The Schoenensteinbach chronicle is about the condition of the parishes of Wittenheim and Kingersheim during the 12th and 13th centuries. This Chronicle recalls that in the year 1199, the bishop Lüthold de Bâle, commanded the Kingersheim chapel to be connected to Wittenheim parish. In 1202, Pope Innocent III confirmed the ruling letters of the two bishops and in 1216, Neuwiller abbey gave as a present to the Schoenensteinbach monastery, a relic of Saint Adelphe which was dropped off in Kingersheim chapel.

Noblemen of Hus Wittenheim were the lords of Kingersheim since the 14th century and thereafter, their successors were the Andlau nobles. Many titles or charters of investiture have been written, among which the 1351 title. It is written that Therry de Hust is invested of a quarter of Wittenheim castle as well as a quarter of Kingersheim village. Wittenheim village formerly constituted in the feudal system the body of a burg having received a charter which allowed the lords to govern more than one village, amongst others, Kingersheim village.

In 1473, Lazare d'Andlau was invested of Kingersheim village by Pierre de Hagenbach, grand bailiff of Charles le Téméraire. Lazare was married to Judith de Ramstein and they had a son named Louis (1474-1509). Knight, he was the founder of the branch of the Kingersheim Andlau.

The autonomy of the town appeared in the end of the 15th century. Louis d'Andlau of Kingersheim was the first Andlau to build Kingersheim castle and to live within it.

St Adelphe Church belongs to the historic heritage of the city. Its 150th birthday was celebrated on 11 September 2011.