Free Imperial City of Turckheim

Origins

Turckheim grew at the entrance to the Fecht valley near Colmar, on lands long linked to the abbey of Munster. Walled in the early 14th century, it was recognised as an imperial city around 1312 and in 1354 joined the Decapolis, the league of ten Alsatian imperial cities.

Rule and society

A council of burghers ruled the town, whose wealth came almost wholly from its vineyards; its three gates and much of its wall survive. It remained Catholic during the Reformation. The round of the night watchman, still re-enacted in summer, recalls the town's tradition of guarding its own walls.

Decline and legacy

After 1648 the Decapolis came under French protection. On 5 January 1675 Marshal Turenne defeated the imperial army at the Battle of Turckheim, securing Alsace, and the Treaty of Nijmegen of 1679 confirmed annexation by the Kingdom of France. It is now in the Haut-Rhin department.