Wimmenau

Wimmenau is located at the crossroads of an ancient Celtic road from Haguenau to Sarre-Union and an ancient Roman road from Strasbourg to Saarbrücken. It was mentioned for the first time in 836 (as Wimmenawe). In 1365, during the Hundred Years War, a hill near the village was used by English soldiers to monitor the Sparsbach and Moder Valleys and named "Englishberg". The village was levelled during the Thirty Years War (1618–1648), except for the bell-tower of the Church of Saint Andrew, and was resettled by Swiss immigrants from the Bern area in the mid-seventeenth century. As with most of the Alsace region, Wimmenau came under the rule of France in 1680. A house built in 1669 (with additions in 1718) by the Scherer brothers—Swiss immigrants—with an adjacent oil mill dating to 1837 was added in 1984. The Scherer house, oil mill, and a few additional outbuildings form a complex which house historical artifacts related to rural life in the area. == Geography ==

The commune lies along the Moder River; other waterways in the commune are the Rothbach and Rosteig Streams. It is entirely within the Northern Vosges Regional Nature Park. It lies between 197 and 413 m elevation; the average elevation is 205 m. ==Population==

Inhabitants are known as Wimmenauviens (males) or Wimmenauviennes (females). The hamlet of Kohlhuette is divided between the communes of Wimmenau and Wingen-sur-Moder. == Transport ==

Wimmenau lies along route D919—named Route Principale (Main Road) while passing through the town—connects the town of Wimmenau with Wingen-sur-Moder to the northwest and Ingwiller to the southeast. Route D12 connects the town of Wimmenau with the hamlet of Kohlhuette. Route D157 connects the town of Wimmenau with Reipertswiller. The town of Wimmenau lies along the Mommenheim-Sarreguemines rail line, which connects the cities of Strasbourg, France to Saarbrücken, Germany. The rail line was built during German rule by the General Division of the Imperial Railways in Alsace-Lorraine; the section through Wimmenau opened 1 May 1895. TER Grand Est, a Train Express Régional operated by SNCF, operates on this line. There is no railway station in Wimmenau; TER Grand Est serves Wimmenau with bus service connecting to rail service at Wingen-sur-Moder and Ingwiller. == Notable residents ==

Politician Philippe Richert grew up in Wimmenau. He has served as senator for Bas-Rhin (1992–2010) and is the current president of the Alsace Regional Council (2010–present). == Notes ==