Ensisheim

Ensisheim
Ansa
The western side of the town hall
The western side of the town hall
Coat of arms of Ensisheim
Location of Ensisheim
Map
Ensisheim is located in France
Ensisheim
Ensisheim
Ensisheim is located in Grand Est
Ensisheim
Ensisheim
Coordinates: 47°51′59″N 7°21′11″E / 47.8664°N 7.3531°E / 47.8664; 7.3531
CountryFrance
RegionGrand Est
DepartmentHaut-Rhin
ArrondissementThann-Guebwiller
CantonEnsisheim
IntercommunalityCentre Haut-Rhin
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) Michel Habig[1]
Area
1
36.59 km2 (14.13 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)[2]
7,418
 • Density200/km2 (530/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
68082 /68190
Elevation213–231 m (699–758 ft)
(avg. 217 m or 712 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Ensisheim (French pronunciation: [ɛnsisaim] ; in Alsatian Ansa (Alemannic German pronunciation: [ˈansa])) is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. It is also the birthplace of the composer Léon Boëllmann. The Germanic origins of the village's name reflect the area's history.

Among the earliest-known clear examples for the practice of trepanation was identified from a Neolithic burial site near the town. Researchers from Freiburg University reported in 1997 an analysis of the well-preserved skeletal remains of an approximately 50-year-old man, whose cranium showed clear evidence of two trepanation procedures. One had fully healed and the other partially so, indicating the subject had survived the operations. The remains were dated to between 5100 and 4900 BC.[3]

On 7 November 1492, a 127 kilogram meteorite fell there, and since then it has attracted many meteorite enthusiasts. It was described in detail by the contemporary poet Sebastian Brant.[4] The meteorite can still be seen in the town's museum, the Musée de la Régence.

  1. ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 2 December 2020.
  2. ^ "Populations légales 2021" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
  3. ^ Walker (1997).
  4. ^ A Contemporary Account of the Ensisheim Meteorite, 1492 Rowland, I. D. (1990), Meteoritics, volume 25, number 1, page 19.