Mulhouse

Mulhouse (French: Mulhouse, pronounced ; Alsatian: Milhüsa; German: Mülhausen) is a town and commune in eastern France close to Swiss and German border. It is the largest town in Haut-Rhin, and the second largest in Alsace after Strasbourg. Its designated local development area consists of 16 communes, but its conurbation is substantially larger than that.

Administration

Mulhouse is the chief town of an arrondissement of the Haut-Rhin département, of which it is a sous-préfecture.

History

The first written records of Mulhouse date from the 12th century. It was a member of the Décapole, an association of ten free towns in Alsace allied to the Swiss Confederation, which was a free republic until it was absorbed into France on January 4, 1798, during the French Directory period.

From 1870 to 1918, Mulhouse was under the control of the German Empire as part of the territory of Alsace-Lorraine. It was occupied by French troops on 8 August 1914, but they were forced to withdraw two days later in the Battle of Mulhouse. As a result of World War I, Alsace-Lorraine was returned to French sovereignty in 1918. It was occupied and annexed again by Germany from 1940 until returned to France in late 1944.

The town's development was stimulated first by the expansion of the textile industry and tanning, and subsequently by chemical and engineering industries from the mid 18th century. In consequence Mulhouse has enduring links with Louisiana, from which it imported cotton, and also with the Levant. The town's history also explains why its centre is relatively small.

Geography

Two rivers run through Mulhouse, the Doller and the Ill, both tributaries of the Rhine.

Districts

Medieval Mulhouse consists essentially of a lower and an upper town.

The lower town was formerly the quarter of merchants and craftsmen. It developed around the Place de la Réunion (which commemorates its reunion with France). Nowadays this area is pedestrianised.
The upper town developed from the 18th century on. Previously, several monastic orders were established there, notably the Franciscans, Augustinians, Poor Clares and Knights of Malta.
The Nouveau Quartier (New Town) is the best example of urban planning in Mulhouse, and was developed from 1826 on, after the town walls had been removed (as they were in many French towns). It is focused around the Place de la République. Its network of streets and its triangular shape are a good demonstration of the town's desire for a planned layout. The planning was undertaken by the architects G. Stolz and Félix Fries. This quarter was taken up by rich families and the owners of local industries, who tended to be liberal and republican in their opinions.
The Rebberg district consists of grand houses inspired by the colonnaded residences of Louisiana cotton planters. Originally, this was the town's vineyard (the word reb meaning vine). The houses here were built as terraces in the English style, a result of the town's close relationship with Manchester, where the sons of industrialists were often sent to study.

Principal places of interest

Hôtel de Ville (16th century). The town hall was built in 1553 in the Rhenish Renaissance style. Montaigne described it as a "palais magnifique et tout doré" in 1580. It is known for its trompe l'oeil paintings, and its pictures of allegories representing the vices and virtues.
Workers' quarter (mid 19th century), inspired by districts in Manchester.
Place de la Bourse and the building of the Société Industrielle de Mulhouse, in the Nouveau Quartier (19th century)
Musée National de l'Automobile de Mulhouse (featuring the Schlumpf collection)
French National Railway Museum
Museum of Electricity (Electropolis)
Museum of Printed Textiles (Musée de l'Impression sur Étoffes)
Botanical gardens and zoo
Numerous industrial ruins

Principal economic activities

Automobile industry (Peugeot's Mulhouse factory is the largest employer in Alsace)
Chemical industry (ICMD)
Electronics (Clemessy)
Engineering (SACM - Warsitlä)

Transportation

Mulhouse is served by Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg International Airport. Transportation within Mulhouse is provided by a recently-opened tram network, which is due to be further extended by 2008.

Miscellaneous

Births

Mulhouse was the birth place of:

Johann Heinrich Lambert (1728-1777), mathematician, physicist and astronomer
Charles Frédéric Girard (1822-1895), biologist specializing on ichthyology and herpetology
Alfred Dreyfus (1859-1935), French military officer best known for being the focus of the Dreyfus affair
Friedrich Wilhelm Levi (1888-1966), mathematician
William Wyler (1902-1981), award-winning motion picture director
Karl Brandt (1904-1948), Nazi German personal physician to Adolf Hitler and head administrator of the T-4 Euthanasia Program.
Katia and Maurice Krafft, volcanologists
Mireille Delunsch (born 1962), soprano

Mayors of Mulhouse

Jean-Marie Bockel (since 1989)
Joseph Klifa (1981-1989)
Emile Muller (1956-1981)

Twin towns

Walsall, United Kingdom, since 1953
Antwerp, Belgium, since 1956
Kassel, Germany, since 1965
Bergamo, Italy, since 1989
Milwaukee, United States of America
Chemnitz, Germany, since 1990
Giv'atáyim, Israel, since 1991
Timişoara, Romania, since 1991 (Coopération décentralisée)
El Khroub, Algeria, since 1999 (Coopération décentralisée)
Sofara, Mali, since 2003 (Coopération décentralisée)

External links

Communes of Haut-Rhin | Sous-préfectures | Cities in France

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