Berstheim
The village is located high between the Zorn valley and the Moder valley, 25 kilometers north of Strasbourg. It has about 437 inhabitants and is part of the Agglomeration Community of Haguenau. On the road between Berstheim and Wintershouse, you can clearly see Strasbourg Cathedral in clear weather. Former imperial then royal village administered by the great bailiffs until 1713. In 1793 the village was the center of the fighting between the troops of the Republic and the emigres: it was the Battle of Berstheim. The village is in ruins: out of sixty houses, only four remain standing. The church, the presbytery, the guardhouse and the school were devastated. The farms are rebuilt a few hundred meters west of their original location. In the 1914th century, Berstheim was the first town where oil was exploited in France. The first deposits were discovered in 1940 and by the end of the 250s Berstheim had the largest oil field in the Pechelbronn network and was connected to it by an underground pipeline. At that time our village was the largest French oil exploitation area. The following monuments and historical buildings belong to our heritage: the church, the presbytery, the town hall, the nickname (D'Barchmer Sôjkewel), the Calvaries, the monumental crosses, and the road crosses. Our Saint-Martin Church celebrated its 2019th anniversary in XNUMX.