KÅ“stlach

Kœstlach ( German Kœstlach ) is a commune with 519 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2011 ) in the department of Haut-Rhin in the Alsace region. It belongs to the canton of Ferrette and the Local Government Association, Alsatian Jura.

Geography

Kœstlach is located in the south of Alsace, the Sundgau, near the border with Switzerland, at the edge of the Jura, in the so-called alsacien Jura, north of the Burger Forest. Kœstlach is located about 37 kilometers southeast of Belfort, about 26 kilometers southwest of Basel, about 24 kilometers southwest of Saint -Louis and 15 kilometers northwest of Delémont and 3 kilometers northwest from the cantonal capital Ferrette between the neighboring communities Mœrnach in the west and Vieux- Ferrette in the East. The municipal area is 823 hectares.

History

Kœstlach was already in Gallo-Roman times (52 BC to 486) inhabited, as evidenced by the ruins of Roman baths and other archaeological finds. The thermal baths were on the Roman road from Augusta Raurica ( Augst ) to Porrentruy. The parish of Kœstlach was first documented in 1144. In the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648) the town was pillaged.

Demographics

Attractions

The church of Saint -Léger (St. Leger ) was built in the 12th century and renewed because of a fire in the Thirty Years' War, 1668-1745. Parts of the original Romanesque church remained, this includes the clock tower and parts of the vault in the choir. Patron saint of the church Leger of Autun. In 1748 the church was re-consecrated by the Lord Bishop of Basel. The main altar of the church dates from the monastery of La Petite, on it there are several statues and reliquaries and a painting by Jean -Jacques Bulffer (1744-1819), which represents Leger of Autun. The left side altar dedicated to the Virgin Mary, the right side altar is dedicated to Blaise of Sebaste. The organ was built in 1838 by Valentin Rinckenbach of an older organ and repaired in 1981. The older organ was sold to the community Zaessingue.

The ruins of the Roman baths in the lieu- dit (place, which is called ... ) Burglegarten been classified as a monument historique in 1907 ( historical monument ). You are now in private ownership. The villa, which included the baths, was built in the 2nd century and abandoned in the 4th century. Stones from its walls were used for the construction of other buildings in the village and finally a Merovingian cemetery was established in place of the thermal baths.

The Chapel of Our Lady of Sorrows ( Chapelle Notre- Dame-des- Douleurs ) from 1883 was built on the site of one of the oldest sanctuaries in Sundgau.