Sondernach
Encyclopedia
Sondernach is a commune
in the Haut-Rhin
département in Alsace
in north-eastern France
.
the benefit of being situated on the slopes of a large valley watered by one of the streams forming the Fecht river. The altitide of the centre is between 500 and 600 metres.
Its only immedite neighbour is the commune of Metzeral
to the north.
and the ten communes of the Fecht. It was totally destroyed during the First World War
, during the battle of Metzeral
, in June 1915.
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 Haut-Rhin
Haut-Rhin
Haut-Rhin is a département of the Alsace region of France, named after the Rhine river. Its name means Upper Rhine. Haut-Rhin is the smaller and less populated of the two departements of Alsace, although is still densely populated compared to the rest of France.-Subdivisions:The department...
département 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...
.
Geography
Located in the parc naturel régional des Ballons des Vosges, the village of Sondernach shares with MittlachMittlach
Mittlach is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.-References:*...
the benefit of being situated on the slopes of a large valley watered by one of the streams forming the Fecht river. The altitide of the centre is between 500 and 600 metres.
Its only immedite neighbour is the commune of Metzeral
Metzeral
Metzeral is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.-References:*...
to the north.
Origin of name
The origin of the village's name is unclear. It could be from der Sonne nahe meaning "near the sun", or zum sundern Ach meaning "near the south stream", Sondernach being the furthest south village in the valley.History
Sondernach first appears in archives in the 12th century. Around 1240, the Benedictine Abbey of Munster owned lands in the village. From 1287, the village was made part of the valley community grouping MunsterMunster
Munster is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the south of Ireland. In Ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial purposes...
and the ten communes of the Fecht. It was totally destroyed during the First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, during the battle of Metzeral
Metzeral
Metzeral is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.-References:*...
, in June 1915.