Malmerspach

Malmerspach
Commune
The town hall in Malmerspach
Coat of arms
Location of Malmerspach
Malmerspach Show map of France Malmerspach Show map of Grand Est
Coordinates: 47°51′53″N7°02′07″E / 47.8647°N 7.0353°E / 47.8647; 7.0353
Country	France
Region	Grand Est
Department	Haut-Rhin
Arrondissement	Thann-Guebwiller
Canton	Cernay
Intercommunality	Vallée de Saint-Amarin
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Eddie Stutz [1]
Area 1	2.66 km2 (1.03 sq mi)
Population  (2022) [2]	484
• Density	182/km2 (471/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	68199 /68550
Elevation	386–868 m (1,266–2,848 ft) (avg. 400 m or 1,300 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Malmerspach is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Grand Est in north-eastern France.

Geography

Located between the cantonal capital of Saint-Amarin (1 km) and the district capital of Thann (8 km), in the Thur Valley.

It is one of the 188 communes of the Ballons des Vosges Nature Park.

Hydrography

Hydrographic network

The commune is located in the Rhine watershed within the Rhine-Meuse basin. It is drained by the Thur River.

The Thur River, 53 km long, rises in the commune of Wildenstein and flows into the Ill River at Ensisheim, after crossing 20 communes. The hydrological characteristics of the Thur River are provided by the hydrological station located in the commune of Willer-sur-Thur. The average monthly flow rate is 5.12 m3/s. The maximum average daily flow rate is 112 m3/s, reached during the flood of April 9, 1983. The maximum instantaneous flow rate is 137 m3/s, reached on the same day.

Malmerspach hydrographic network

Water management and quality

The municipal territory is covered by the "Thur" Water Development and Management Plan (SAGE). This planning document concerns the Thur watershed. This area covers 544 km². The perimeter was established on March 4, 1996, and the SAGE itself was approved on May 14, 2001. The structure responsible for its development and implementation is the Haut-Rhin Departmental Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry.

Watercourse quality can be consulted on a dedicated website managed by the water agencies and the French Agency for Biodiversity.

History

In 1506, this small hamlet, then called "Malberspach," was part of the territory of Murbach Abbey, and remained so until 1789. The chapel is dedicated to Saint Joseph the Craftsman. From 1844, the worsted wool spinning mill brought worldwide renown to the village until its liquidation in October 1976.

In 1935, the Schlumpf brothers invested their fortune in Alsatian textiles by purchasing the town's spinning mill.

In 1971, the two Schlumpf brothers boasted of owning, along with Malmerspach, Erstein, Gluck, and HKC, the entire French worsted wool spinning industry.

Heraldry

The blazon reference of Malmerspach is: Cut, the first couped gules and azure, with a rising crescent argent broaching on the score, the second azure with a spinning reel argent in pale, with a torn fir tree vert broaching on a bar or placed on the score.

See also

• Communes of the Haut-Rhin département

References

1. "Répertoire national des élus: les maires" (in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 13 September 2022.
2. "Populations légales 2022" (in French). National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 19 December 2024.