Néewiller near Lauterbourg

Néewiller-près-Lauterbourg, accessible from Seltz or Lauterbourg, is a charming village of 686 inhabitants, known as the Néewillerois. Arriving via a shaded avenue of plane trees, one discovers this small town nestled in the hills, offering an open view of the Black Forest and the Northern Vosges. Its history dates back to 1632, when survivors of the Thirty Years' War, fleeing Swedish pillaging, settled near a stream to found Neuweiler, which became Néewiller in 1738. The commune, independent since that date, was attached to Mothern before joining the Bishopric of Speyer. Its heritage notably includes two coats of arms: the first, a horseshoe on a red and white background, was replaced in 1946 by a silver abbatial crozier and two golden fleurs-de-lis on a blue background. In the center of the village, the statue of Saint Michael, erected on the church forecourt, faces the town hall. The church houses an organ installed at the end of the 18th century, damaged during the bombings of World War II. In 1939, the inhabitants were evacuated to Saint-Sulpice-les-Feuilles, in Haute-Vienne, where a lasting friendship was born. Since 2002, the two communes have been twinned, and biennial meetings maintain this bond.