La Wantzenau
| La Wantzenau | ||
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The Ill River in La Wantzenau
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 La Wantzenau
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Location within Grand Est region
La Wantzenau
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| Coordinates: 48°39′32″N 7°49′45″E / 48.6589°N 7.8292°ECoordinates: 48°39′32″N 7°49′45″E / 48.6589°N 7.8292°E | ||
| Country | France | |
| Region | Grand Est | |
| Department | Bas-Rhin | |
| Arrondissement | Strasbourg | |
| Canton | Brumath | |
| Intercommunality | Strasbourg | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor (2001–2008) | Claude Graebling | |
| Area1 | 25.39 km2 (9.80 sq mi) | |
| Population (2006)2 | 5,892 | |
| • Density | 230/km2 (600/sq mi) | |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | |
| INSEE/Postal code | 67519 /67610 | |
| Elevation | 128–135 m (420–443 ft) (avg. 130 m or 430 ft) |
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1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. 2Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once. |
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1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
La Wantzenau (German: Wanzenau) is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Grand Est in north-eastern France.
The town is located 12 km northeast of Strasbourg. It is the last village along the Ill river before it joins the Rhine a few kilometres downstream. The village limits touch the border with Germany, although the closest bridge across the Rhine is in Gambsheim, 10 km north of the village. It is one of the villages of greater Strasbourg (Communauté Urbaine de Strasbourg or CUS). The village centre and the recently developed area, Le Golf, are on the north side of the river Ill with the neighbourhood of Le Woerthel on the south side.
The terrain around the village is very flat and marshy. In fact the ending "au" in the name denotes in Alsatian a town which is subject to seasonal flooding. The town was probably founded in the 8th century as a fishing outpost of Honau, a nearby monastery founded by Irish monks on an island in the Rhine river. The name does not appear in any records until 1331 as "Wanzenowe". It was granted status as a parish by the bishop-prince of Strasbourg in 1468. During the Thirty Years' War, in the early 17th century, the town was completely wiped out by Swedish troops. It was also badly damaged during both World Wars. There are many signs of the town's experience with war. Rue Albert Zimmer is named for a soldier who became a local hero fighting with General Leclerc in World War II, only to be killed in fighting near Strasbourg in 1944. The town is dotted with bunkers and blockhouses from the Maginot Line, especially in the La Wantzenau forest. There is also a German-made bunker visible in the house on the corner of the rue Leh and the rue du Moulin.
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