Westhoffen

Perched in the heart of Alsace, Westhoffen charms with its green surroundings and rich heritage. This village of 1,675 inhabitants prides itself on being the heart of the largest vineyard in the famous "Golden Crown," with 235 hectares classified as Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée. Surrounded by a forest of nearly 1,000 hectares, it is also the cherry capital of Alsace, thanks to its 5,000 cherry trees that color its landscapes in spring. Its history dates back to the year 732, when its name, meaning "farm of the west," first appeared in texts. At that time, a farm dependent on the Marmoutier Abbey occupied the site, west of an ancient Roman villa located in Kirchheim. In the 11th century, a fortified keep, the Rosenbourg, was built, while the Saint Martin church, a rare example of a Gothic hall church, began to rise in the 13th century. Deeply remodeled in the 19th century, it now features a neo-Gothic facade characteristic of that era. In 1332, Westhoffen attained the status of an imperial city and was equipped with fortified walls, whose gates have now disappeared, but whose walls still surround the old town center, called Staedtel. Under the rule of the lords of Hanau-Lichtenberg until the Revolution, the village hosted one of the oldest and most important Jewish communities in Alsace, thanks to their spirit of tolerance. This history is still visible through a 19th-century neo-Orientalist synagogue and an old Jewish cemetery, testimonies of a community now dispersed.