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Last modified: 2021-04-10 by ivan sache
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Flag and gonfanon of Châtenois - Images by Ivan Sache, 4 March 2010
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The municipality of Châtenois (in Alsatian, Keschtaholz; 3,810 inhabitants in 2006; 1,457 ha) is located 3 km west of Sélestat.
Châtenois was known in the Roman times as Castinetum, "a place planted with chestnut trees" (from Latin castanea, "chestnut", "chestnut tree", source of the French worlds châtaigne and châtaignier, respectively). The original settlement might have emerged close to the St. George Source (Georgenbrunnen), where two sandstone pieces fetauring gods Mercury and Rosmerta were found; six sarcophagi dated c. 650, including bones, a sword and jewels, were found in the same place. The chapel protecting the source dates probably from the 15th century.
In the Middle Ages, Châtenois controlled the access to Lorraine via
the valleys of Sainte-Marie and Villé. The noble von Kestenholtz
family, known in 1138, lived in a castle, of which nothing has
remained but the name of a ward of the town. Châtenois has the biggest
of the five fortified cemetaries still existing in Alsace, which
encompassed the church, the cemetery proper and houses; completed in
1200-1250, the fortification was protected by small fortresses.
Around 1400, a second wall was added around the town. Access to the
cemetery was then possible only through the Witches' Tower, whose
spire is the emblem of the town of Châtenois.
Owned by the Bishop of Strasbourg, Châtenois was burned down in 1298
by the inhabitants of Sélestat after the villagers had changed the
course of river Muhlbach. From 1296 to 1306, coins were minted in the
building known as Herrenhaus (Lord's House). Lacking money, the
Bishop sold in 1410 Châtenois to the Grand Chapter of the Cathedral of
Strasbourg, which ruled the village until the French Revolution.
In 1525, during the Peasants' War, thousands of revolted peasants were slaughtered near the gates of Châtenois by the troops of the Duke of Lorraine, but the town was spared. In 1632, the Swedes seized the town and suppressed the Chapter's administration, ruling Châtenois until 1648 (Treaty of Westfalia). Incorporated to France, the town was completely rebuilt; a canal was built in 1681 to transport the stones from Hahnenberg to the building site of the fortifications of Sélestat. Due to demographic increase, the St. Georges Church was rebuilt in 1761, with a Baroque choir, very unusual in Alsace.
From the 18th century onwards, several farmers worked at home as
weavers. In 1820, the Wolbert family set up workshops with looms; the
local workshops were subsequently managed by the great weavers'
families from Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines. Weaving industry flourished in
Châtenois until the 1970s. Today, the tradition is maintained by the
Hartmann company, specialized in medical and surgical textiles. Other
industries, for instance cigare production, developed in the town,
which was in the beginning of the 20th century a small workers' town,
compared to the neighbouring rural villages.
Châtenois was also famous for its spa and hotel, built in 1875 by the
Petitdemange family on a site already known to the Romans. Famous all
over Europe, the healing spas of Badbronn and Heinrichsquelle were
destroyed in 1904 in a blaze and never rebuilt.
Source: Municipal website
Ivan Sache, 4 March 2010
The flag of Châtenois, as observed in June 2009, is
horizontally divided green-yellow. There is also a forked gonfanon
vertically divided green-yellow.
The colours of the flag are taken from the canting municipal arms, "Or a chestnut tree
eradicated vert" (image).
Pascal Vagnat, 22 February 2010
