Altkirch (French: [altkiʁʃ] ⓘ, German: [ˈaltkɪʁç]; Alsatian: Àltkìrech; Frainc-Comtou: Artçhelitçhe) is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.[3]
The town is traditionally regarded as the capital of Sundgau.
Etymology
The name of the commune means old church (Alsatian: Àlta Kìrch or Àlta Kìrech; German: Alte Kirche).
History
In the 1370s, the citizens of Altkirch battled and won against a company of Gugler mercenaries.[4]
Demography
Its inhabitants are known as Altkirchois.
The resident population number of 5,700 is rather deceptive as some 15,500 people will be in town on a typical working day (4500 working, 3000 studying, 3000 for medical treatment and another 5000 divided between shopping, administrative offices, cultural and sporting activities).
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 5,118 | — |
| 1975 | 5,319 | +0.55% |
| 1982 | 5,268 | −0.14% |
| 1990 | 5,090 | −0.43% |
| 1999 | 5,386 | +0.63% |
| 2007 | 5,644 | +0.59% |
| 2012 | 5,747 | +0.36% |
| 2017 | 5,737 | −0.03% |
| 2023 | 5,687 | −0.15% |
| Source: INSEE[5] | ||
Sister cities
- Azerbaijan (Nagorno-Karabakh) Füzuli (2016)
See also
- Château d’Altkirch – destroyed castle in the town.
- Communes of the Haut-Rhin department
References
- ^ “Répertoire national des élus: les maires” (in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 13 September 2022.
- ^ “Populations de référence 2023” (in French). National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 18 December 2025.
- ^ INSEE commune file
- ^ Tuchman, Barbara Wertheim (1978). A distant mirror : the calamitous 14th century. Internet Archive. New York : Knopf. p. 280. ISBN 978-0-394-40026-6.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link) - ^ Population municipale entre 1968 et 2023, INSEE
External links
- Altkirch and Sundgau Community (in French)
- Weather in Haut-Rhin (in French)
- Photographic visit to Altkirch Archived 2015-04-22 at the Wayback Machine (in French)
- Rhenish centre for Contemporary Art (in French)
