|
 |
| Hirschland nestles in foothills on the western side of the Vosges Mountains. Enlarge |
LARGE-SCALE MAP showing Hirschland location in Europe
SMALL-SCALE MAP showing Hirschland in relation to nearby villages
A Farming Village
Not much has changed in Hirschland since the 1740's. At least that's the impression I got when I visited for the first time in July 1998. I believe if Theobald and Hans Georg Bieber could return there today, they might marvel at the cars and tractors and paved streets, but the layout of the village, many of the buildings, and the surrounding landscape would be completely familiar.
|
|
 |
| Countryside near Hirschland. Enlarge |
Farming remains the chief economic activity of Hirschland. The farmers' houses and barns are right in the village, a typical arrangement in France. Around the village are small woodlots, cow pastures, and fields planted with corn, wheat, and hay. I was struck by how much the countryside resembles the region in Berks County, Pennsylvania where the Bieber emigrants settled.
A small stream called the Isch flows through Hirschland. In the nearby countryside is an ancient mill, the Ischermühle. The Isch flows west from Hirschland and in a short distance joins the Sarre. The Sarre flows north through a sequence of towns named after it --- Saare-Union, Saareguemines, Saarbrücken --- before joining the Mosel River in the Saar region of Germany.
Not a Typical Tourist Destination
 |
| Flowers are popular in Hirschland, as they are throughout Alsace. Enlarge |
Hirschland is a small village. Its population was 358 in 1794, 577 in 1905, and 286 in 1990 (Source: Robert Behra's Alsace page).
There are few tourist amenities. I saw no place to stay overnight. One building had a restaurant sign, but it was closed when I was there. The only shops I saw were two places selling snails. I wonder whether escargots were popular in 18th Century Hirschland, or whether this taste was acquired more recently.
Despite the absence of a bakery or butchery, the residents of Hirschland do have access to fresh bread and meat. During my brief vist, two delivery trucks were plying the streets of Hirschland, selling goods from a bakery and a butcher shop in nearby towns.
Many visitors to Alsace are understandably drawn to the picturesque towns of Upper (southern) Alsace, where vineyards, half-timbered houses, restaurants, and hotels abound. Hirschland is in Lower (northern) Alsace. This region is also quite beautiful, but is less oriented towards tourism than Upper Alsace.
But the factors drawing me to Hirschland differed from those of the typical tourist. I was enchanted by the place, and thankful to see it so little changed over the ages.
 |
| The Bieber name is still to be found in Alsace. |
Hirschland Church
 |
| Hirschland Church. Present structure dates from 1755. |
From a history of Hirschland Church by Robert Muller (1996), translated from French by Steven Bieber:
"During the Middle Ages, the village of Hirschland was a place of pilgrimage. Its church was mentioned in 1290 during a Bishops conference in Rome. Its condition in 1680 was very bad and a part of the church had been burned. After 1700, the peace returned and it was necessary to construct a new church. The county appointed an architect named STENGEL to design the plans. Its construction, and that of six other churches, was during the period in which King Louis XV participated in the financing for the construction of religious buildings. Hirschland had to erect the building alone. In large part it was the responsibility of the village people to perform the construction: cutting the blocks of stone, transporting them to the site and cutting down the trees from the communal forest. The church's location is the same as the previous church after having preserved the base of the former bell-tower. The roof of this last design had two slopes, onto which was placed a globe surmounted by a cross. The present bell-tower pinnacle has been in place since 1867. Two rows of windows are situated along the nave, like in a house.
 |
| Inside the church. |
"The interior is impressive by its simplicity. At the end, was the altar with a raised altar chair against the wall. The altar area was shared by some other less ornate benches against the walls facing the altar which were occupied by the pastor and the Presbyterian counselors. To each side of the chair there was a big window. All of it changed dramatically in 1950 and some elements have disappeared.
"On the sides, the galleries above the Tuscany columns were preserved (they are over two centuries old) by the parishioners of POSTROFF. It is because of them that there remain two rows of windows.
"It seems as though an old organ was replaced by the present one in 1886. Two people have been buried in the church. Jean Jacques LUCIUS (born in 1669, died 18 May 1754) was the pastor to Hirschland for 56 years and died before the reconstruction was completed in 1755 as is indicated on some of the columns near the altar. The second person, Charlotte WAGNER (died 1671), was the wife of pastor Georges ENGEL and has a sepulcher in the church."
Around Hirschland
|
|
Travelling northeast from Hirschland, one encounters first Eyweiler, two miles distant, and then Berg, one and one-half miles further along. Both villages are significant in the history of the Bieber family and allied Pennsylvania Dutch families. For instance, Sara Ludmann was from Eyweiler, and her marriage to Theobald Bieber is recorded in both the Berg Kirchenbuch and the Hirschland Kirchenbuch. The Berg record is important because it names the fathers of both Sara and Theobald.
The hill overlooking Berg has been a religious site for centuries, and today is the site of a Catholic church perched dramatically over the town. The steeple of the church affords wonderful views of Berg and the surrounding countryside (above).
| ||
|
Ten miles east of Hirschland is the village La Petite-Pierre, in the heart of the Vosges mountains. It lies within the Regional Nature Park of the Northern Vosges. I'm not aware of any particular significance to the Bieber family, but La Petite-Pierre is an attractive, interesting place.
During my brief visit to Alsace, I stayed at the Hotel Kleiber in St Jean-Saverne. St Jean-Saverne is a quiet, pretty hillside village north of the bustling town of Saverne. It is, I suppose, only 15 minutes from Hirschland via the Autoroute A4, but I never actually took the Autoroute. It was much more pleasant to reach Hirschland in 30-45 minutes over the back roads.
The restored Chapelle St-Michel is a short walk from St Jean-Saverne. Nearby are prehistoric sites called the "Sorcerers' School" and the "Socerers' Grotto" recognizable by shapes carved from the bedrock. My Michelin Guide did not elaborate on these sites, but I suppose they are remains of the Druid culture.
From the "Sorcerers' School" one gains a superb view (below) over the northern Alsace plain. On a clear day the steeple of Strassburg Cathedral can be sighted. The hills on the horizon are in Germany, beyond the Rhine.
 |
| The Plain of Alsace. Enlarge |
| To Contents. |