Soppe le Haut

Soppe-le-Haut, nestled in the Doller valley, bears the marks of a vibrant medieval past. The earliest written mentions of the village date back to the 12th century, under the names *Suspa* (1105) and then *Sulcebach* (1185), referring to the Soultzbach stream that runs through it. At the time, the valley belonged to the Lordship of Thann, with Soppe-le-Haut as its administrative center, encompassing several localities now disappeared or autonomous, such as Mortzwiller, Soppe-le-Bas, Eichen, and Dieffmatten.

The Church of Saint Margaret, one of the oldest religious buildings in the valley, bears witness to this history. Its tower, the lower part of which dates from 1469, has been listed as a supplementary historical monument since 1995. Since 1393, it was under the responsibility of the chapter of monks from Oelenberg. The presbytery, built around 1730, now houses the village town hall.

Soppe-le-Haut also gave birth to a notable figure in Alsatian history: Landelin Winterer, born in 1832. Dean priest of Mulhouse from 1871 until his death in 1911, he engaged in politics after the annexation of Alsace, defending the region's autonomy at the Reichstag and then at the Landesausschuss. Appointed canon of Strasbourg and apostolic protonotary, he also worked for the middle and disadvantaged classes, leaving behind numerous writings on Alsatian religious history.