Hurtigheim

The history of Hurtigheim dates back to Antiquity, when the Romans established a strategic road connecting Strasbourg to Metz, the route of which corresponds today to the Roman Road. A watchtower, the ancestor of the current church steeple, was built there.

The Alamanni settled in Alsace from 377, and the first written mention of the village appears in 778 under the name Hirtunghaim, during Charlemagne's passage. Over the centuries, the name evolved: Hirtingheim in 1371, Hirtigheim in 1496, Hirtenheim in 1501, then Hirtingenn in 1543. Under the Ancien Régime, Hurtigheim was divided between the Zorn de Plobsheim and Zorn de Bülach families. The Lutheran Reformation was introduced there as early as 1541 by these same families, strengthening ties with Plobsheim, with which a direct carriage road, now departmental road 222, attested to these privileged relations.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, Hurtigheim experienced a period of prosperity thanks to peace and agricultural progress. Its fertile soil and proximity to Strasbourg made it a wealthy village, specialized in mixed farming. It was notably known for the cultivation of madder, tobacco, and hops. This era saw the construction of many imposing farmsteads, some of which are still in operation today. The role of the Kochersberg region as Strasbourg's granary was further enhanced by the arrival of the tramway to Westhoffen in 1903, which served Hurtigheim.