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Sélestat (name adopted in 1920, before 1871 Schlestadt or
Schlettstadt; Alsatian: Schlettstàdt) is a French commune, in the
department of Bas-Rhin, in Alsace (Grand Est region).
Chief
town of district and canton, seat of the community of communes of
Sélestat, it had 19,794 inhabitants at the last census in 2012
(legal population in force on January 1, 2015), which makes it the
fifth municipality in the Lower Rhine and the eighth Alsatian
municipality in terms of number of inhabitants. Its inhabitants are
called the Sélestadiens and Sélestadiennes. The town is located in
the Alsace plain, at the foot of the Vosges. It is crossed by the
Ill and its territory is largely covered by the wetlands of Grand
Ried. It is under the direct influence of the metropolis of
Strasbourg, barely thirty kilometers away.
Selestat is
mentioned for the first time in the 7th century. Free city of the
Holy Empire, member of the Decapolis, Sélestat experienced very
rapid development at the end of the Middle Ages and during the
Renaissance. It also becomes a hotbed of humanism. It was then the
third Alsatian city, with a port on the Ill and a belt of ramparts.
She nevertheless suffered from the troubles linked to the
Reformation, the Peasants 'War and then the Thirty Years' War, after
which she became French.
During the French period, Sélestat
was a military town, fortified by Vauban. It was besieged twice by
the Coalition during the Napoleonic wars. The ramparts were
destroyed in 1874, shortly after the annexation of Alsace-Moselle by
Germany. Population growth is only really noticeable after World War
II. Having become an industrial center, Sélestat is also a secondary
commercial center, thirty kilometers from the metropolis of
Strasbourg, seventy kilometers from Mulhouse and around twenty
kilometers from Colmar.
Sélestat is the third largest city in
Alsace for its rich heritage, behind Strasbourg and Colmar. The city
has, for example, two large churches, a medieval urban complex, as
well as a very rich collection of Renaissance works kept at the
Humanist Library. Sélestat is also endowed with an important natural
heritage since the municipal territory is largely included in the
regional nature reserve of Illwald. Finally, the town is close to
the Alsace wine route and the Haut-Kœnigsbourg castle.
Sélestat has been awarded the City of Art and History label since
February 19, 2016.