Gambsheim
Encyclopedia
Gambsheim is a commune
in the Bas-Rhin
department in Alsace
in north-eastern France
.
It is adjacent to a river crossing into Germany that is favoured by southbound autoroute
traffic wishing to avoid traffic delays around Strasbourg. The road crossing the river coincides with a large lock
which is also the site of one of the Rhine's first fish ladder
s installed to support migratory fish in general and, more specifically, to try and restore the abundant salmon
population for which the upper Rhine was famous before the early twentieth century, when the installation of a series of locks rendered the river navigable beyond Basel
for boats, but blocked it for migrating fish.
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the Bas-Rhin
Bas-Rhin
Bas-Rhin is a department of France. The name means "Lower Rhine". It is the more populous and densely populated of the two departments of the Alsace region, with 1,079,013 inhabitants in 2006.- History :...
department in Alsace
Alsace
Alsace is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France, with ca. 220 inhabitants per km²...
in north-eastern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
It is adjacent to a river crossing into Germany that is favoured by southbound autoroute
A35 autoroute
The A35 autoroute is a toll free highway in north eastern France. It is also known as the autoroute des cigognes and the Voie Rapide du Piémont des Vosges. It connects the German border in the Rhine valley with the Swiss frontier via Strasbourg...
traffic wishing to avoid traffic delays around Strasbourg. The road crossing the river coincides with a large lock
Lock (water transport)
A lock is a device for raising and lowering boats between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways. The distinguishing feature of a lock is a fixed chamber in which the water level can be varied; whereas in a caisson lock, a boat lift, or on a canal inclined plane, it is...
which is also the site of one of the Rhine's first fish ladder
Fish ladder
A fish ladder, also known as a fishway, fish pass or fish steps, is a structure on or around artificial barriers to facilitate diadromous fishes' natural migration. Most fishways enable fish to pass around the barriers by swimming and leaping up a series of relatively low steps into the waters on...
s installed to support migratory fish in general and, more specifically, to try and restore the abundant salmon
Salmon
Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...
population for which the upper Rhine was famous before the early twentieth century, when the installation of a series of locks rendered the river navigable beyond Basel
Basel
Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...
for boats, but blocked it for migrating fish.