In this area a place called "Giessen" was discovered, along with tombs, jewels and ceramics dating from the first period of the
Iron Age to the end of the
Bronze Age. The name (
Nidern Enszheim 1276) is a contraction of "Nieder-Ensisheim" ("Nieder": lower). Niederentzen and Oberentzen were originally a single holding. In the thirteenth century, this holding was dissociated and Niederentzen became part of the territory of
Murbach Abbey. In 1358, the village was taken by the
Habsburgs, who gave it first to the lords of
Hattstatt, and then, on their extinction (1585), to the
Swiss noble family of Truchsess von
Rheinfelden. Jean-Melchior Truchsess von Rheinfelden, who died in 1699, returned the property to the church. After the
French Revolution, Niederentzen became part of
Ensisheim. During the nineteenth century, the American businessman
Henri Castro offered lands in the state of
Texas. Some inhabitants of Niederentzen responded and settled in
Castroville and
D'Hanis. This second city is currently twinned with Niederentzen; a portion of the village bears its name.
Coat of arms The
coat of arms of the village of Niederentzen was created in 1978 by M. Lucien Bilger, then mayor of the commune. It combines elements of the armorial bearings of the Hattstatt lords and the Truchsess nobles, illustrating the history of the village. ==Administration==