Obersaasheim

Obersaasheim stretches across the Alsace plain in Haut-Rhin, at the heart of the Hardt-Nord Region. Bordered to the west by the Rhône-Rhine canal and to the east by the Rhine forest, this agricultural village lies between 192 and 207 meters in altitude. Its soil, partly silty and stony, consists of Rhine alluvium. The commune is among the driest areas in France, with annual rainfall below 500 mm. Founded in 768 under the name Saxones, Obersaasheim owes its origin to Saxon settlers, possibly deported by Charlemagne. From that time, the Munster Abbey owned properties here until 1789. In the Middle Ages, the village was under the Habsburgs, who enfeoffed it to the Andlau family. Its name evolved: Sachsen in 1316, Sachseim in 1517, then Sassenheim in 1576. A church is first mentioned in 1302, and the parish was founded in 1316, integrated into the rural chapter of the Bishopric of Basel the following year. Partially destroyed during the Thirty Years' War, Obersaasheim became an autonomous parish in 1683. Between 1772 and 1777, a presbytery and a church were built, dedicated to Saint Gall. From 1835 to 1838, the town hall and the communal school were established. During World War II, residents were evacuated to Lot-et-Garonne, notably to Guérin. The commune was liberated between February 2 and 6, 1945. Its monuments include the Saint Gall church (1775), the presbytery (1805), a well (1727), four calvaries, three chapels, six crucifixes, early 20th-century bunkers, and a 19th-century chapel.