Sélestat
Encyclopedia
Sélestat is a commune
in the Bas-Rhin
department in Alsace
in north-eastern France
.
In 2006, Sélestat had a total population of 19,459. The Communauté de communes
de Sélestat et environs had a total population of 35,397.
, 22 km (13.7 mi) north of Colmar
and 47 km (29.2 mi) south of Strasbourg
, on the left bank of the Ill River.
Sélestat is near the Alsace wine route, and other notable sites such as the Château du Haut-Kœnigsbourg
.
St. Faith's Church
and the Gothic
St. George's Church, the Baroque
clock tower (1618) and the Neo-Mediæval water tower. Buildings like the town hall (1788), the railway station (1880s) and the synagogue
(1890s), as well as several Renaissance
and Baroque civil houses are similarly noteworthy.
The Humanist Library
displays one of the oldest and most homogeneous collections of medieval manuscripts and Renaissance books in Europe. Its core is the still almost intact library of Beatus Rhenanus
, that had been bequeathed to the city and kept by it ever since.
Sélestat is the cultural center of central Alsace and is the seat of the Fonds régional d'art contemporain Alsace (FRAC Alsace) (contemporary art in and of Alsace) and of the Pôle d'archéologie interdépartemental rhénan (PAIR) (archaeology
of and in Alsace).
The facility consists of two directional antenna systems, each for one frequency. Each of the system consists of three guyed base-fed mast radiators insulated against ground, about 60 m high, which are arranged on a line with a little bow to deserve precisely the Alsatian Plain.
, Belgium
, since 1959 Dornbirn
, Austria
, since 2006 Grenchen
, Switzerland
, since 1988 Waldkirch
, Germany
, since 1966
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...
.
In 2006, Sélestat had a total population of 19,459. The Communauté de communes
Communauté de communes
A communauté de communes is a federation of municipalities in France. It forms a framework within which local tasks are carried out together...
de Sélestat et environs had a total population of 35,397.
Geography
Sélestat is located in central AlsaceAlsace
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...
, 22 km (13.7 mi) north of Colmar
Colmar
Colmar is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.It is the capital of the department. Colmar is also the seat of the highest jurisdiction in Alsace, the appellate court....
and 47 km (29.2 mi) south of Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
, on the left bank of the Ill River.
Sélestat is near the Alsace wine route, and other notable sites such as the Château du Haut-Kœnigsbourg
Château du Haut-Kœnigsbourg
The château du Haut-Kœnigsbourg is located at Orschwiller, Alsace, France, in the Vosges mountains just west of Sélestat. The castle is nestled at a strategic location on a high hill overlooking the Alsatian plain; as a result it was used by successive powers from the Middle Ages until the Thirty...
.
Sights and culture
The city is one of the richest and most varied in terms of architecture among the smaller cities of Alsace. Most remarkable are the RomanesqueRomanesque architecture
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
St. Faith's Church
St. Faith's Church, Sélestat
The Roman Catholic Church of Saint Faith of Sélestat is a major Romanesque architecture landmark along the Route Romane d'Alsace in the East of France...
and the Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
St. George's Church, the Baroque
Baroque architecture
Baroque architecture is a term used to describe the building style of the Baroque era, begun in late sixteenth century Italy, that took the Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture and used it in a new rhetorical and theatrical fashion, often to express the triumph of the Catholic Church and...
clock tower (1618) and the Neo-Mediæval water tower. Buildings like the town hall (1788), the railway station (1880s) and the synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
(1890s), as well as several Renaissance
Renaissance architecture
Renaissance architecture is the architecture of the period between the early 15th and early 17th centuries in different regions of Europe, demonstrating a conscious revival and development of certain elements of ancient Greek and Roman thought and material culture. Stylistically, Renaissance...
and Baroque civil houses are similarly noteworthy.
The Humanist Library
Humanist Library of Sélestat
The Humanist Library in Sélestat is one of the most important cultural treasures of Alsace, France. According to a traditional saying, Alsace has three great treasures: Strasbourg Cathedral, the Isenheim Altarpiece in Colmar and the Humanist Library in Sélestat....
displays one of the oldest and most homogeneous collections of medieval manuscripts and Renaissance books in Europe. Its core is the still almost intact library of Beatus Rhenanus
Beatus Rhenanus
Beatus Rhenanus , also known as Beatus Bild, was an Alsatian humanist, religious reformer, and classical scholar....
, that had been bequeathed to the city and kept by it ever since.
Sélestat is the cultural center of central Alsace and is the seat of the Fonds régional d'art contemporain Alsace (FRAC Alsace) (contemporary art in and of Alsace) and of the Pôle d'archéologie interdépartemental rhénan (PAIR) (archaeology
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
of and in Alsace).
Sélestat AM transmitter
South of Sélestat, at 48°15′4"N 7°25′28"E, is a large broadcasting facility used for transmitting on 1161 kHz and 1278 kHz in the mediumwave range.The facility consists of two directional antenna systems, each for one frequency. Each of the system consists of three guyed base-fed mast radiators insulated against ground, about 60 m high, which are arranged on a line with a little bow to deserve precisely the Alsatian Plain.
Notable people
- Martin BucerMartin BucerMartin Bucer was a Protestant reformer based in Strasbourg who influenced Lutheran, Calvinist, and Anglican doctrines and practices. Bucer was originally a member of the Dominican Order, but after meeting and being influenced by Martin Luther in 1518 he arranged for his monastic vows to be annulled...
- Heinrich KramerHeinrich KramerHeinrich Kramer also known under the Latinized name Henricus Institoris, was a German churchman and inquisitor....
- Johannes MentelinJohannes MentelinJohannes Mentelin, sometimes also spelled Mentlin, was a pioneering German book printer and bookseller of the incunabulum time...
- Beatus RhenanusBeatus RhenanusBeatus Rhenanus , also known as Beatus Bild, was an Alsatian humanist, religious reformer, and classical scholar....
- Jakob WimpfelingJakob WimpfelingJakob Wimpfeling was a Renaissance humanist and theologian.- Biography :Wimpfeling was born in Sélestat, Alsace. He went to the school at Sélestat, which was run by Ludwig Dringenberg, the founder of the Humanist Library of Sélestat...
Twin towns
CharleroiCharleroi
Charleroi is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. , the total population of Charleroi was 201,593. The metropolitan area, including the outer commuter zone, covers an area of and had a total population of 522,522 as of 1 January 2008, ranking it as...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, since 1959 Dornbirn
Dornbirn
Dornbirn is a city in Vorarlberg, Austria. It is the administrative center of the district Dornbirn, which also includes the city of Hohenems, and the market town Lustenau....
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, since 2006 Grenchen
Grenchen
Grenchen is a municipality in the district of Lebern in the canton of Solothurn in Switzerland.It is located at the foot of the Jura mountains between Solothurn and Biel. With over 16,000 inhabitants, it is one of the larger towns of the canton of Solothurn...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, since 1988 Waldkirch
Waldkirch
Waldkirch is a town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is known as "the place of mechanical organs", where fairground organs are manufactured and played on the streets from well-known manufacturers, such as A. Ruth and Sohn, Bruder and Carl Frei .-Sights:* The Catholic Church St...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, since 1966