Welcome in Walschbronn
The house of dimes, a parish, an abbey
Turn right, due west on rue de l'Abbé Louis Kieffer until the intersection and look at the old wall in front of you.
The abbey of Sturzelbronn was the patron saint of the parish before the Revolution and collected the tithe there. These remains of the sandstone tithe house still show the location of the door to the garden, a molded window, the holes for fixing the floor and a later sink.
It was built near the "Dorfplatz" on the other side of the Umbächel (a stream that today runs under the road at this point). It included a dwelling and spacious barns, to store the products of the "tithe". It was sold during the French Revolution with the furniture and equipment. Before the war this house belonged to Marie Derler.
Walschbronn great parish
The parish of Walschbronn was founded in the 9th century. It is a great mother parish with Waldhouse, Dorst, Riedelberg, Bousseviller, Liederschiedt, Roppeviller, Schweix, Hilst, Eppenbrunn, Trulben, Vinningen, Obersimten and Kröppen as annexes.
In 1196, the parish was placed under the patronage of the Cistercian abbey of Sturzelbronn by Ferry de Bitche. This donation was confirmed by Ugo Aycelin de Billom, bishop of Ostia and legate of the Holy See and the bishop of Metz in 1204.
The Abbey of Sturzelbronn
The abbey of Sturzelbronn was founded in 1135 by Cistercian monks at the instigation of Simon I, Duke of Lorraine. The abbey manages a vast territory with a network of farms, ponds, censes and affiliated parishes.
The Peasants' War and the development of Protestantism in the villages of the county of Hanau-Lichtenberg in the XVIth century will be the source of many difficulties with the abbey. After the Revolution, the monastery lost all its rights. All that remains today of the abbey of Sturzelbronn are its portal, two buildings, the tympanum of the church, and a few markers on the territory.