Geispolsheim is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department, in the Grand Est region, 13 km southwest of Strasbourg.
Its territory of nearly 22 km² is located in the Alsace plain, bordered to the east by the course of the Ill and to the south by its tributary and sub-tributary, the Ehn and the Ergelsenbach. Despite its proximity to the regional capital, the locality has retained a rural and green appearance, covered mainly by arable land (46% of its surface area), agricultural areas and meadows (15%) and forests (13%).
Since the 19th century, the town has been made up of two poles: the historic village (sometimes called "Geispolsheim Village") and, to the east, with the development of the Strasbourg-Mulhouse railway, the district of " Geispolsheim station".
Cited in the 9th century as belonging to the bishops of Strasbourg, the village passed during the Middle Ages into the hands of different families before reintegrating into the domain of the bishopric until the Revolution. In the meantime, Geispolsheim was fortified and equipped with a castle. There is no longer any evidence of it today.
Affected by wars, the locality has recovered and today has become appreciated for its pleasant living environment and its leisure offerings within the "crown" of the city. It has an industrial and commercial zone and there are around 7,600 inhabitants. The village's picturesque heritage, its bucolic countryside and its cultural and sporting activities (not forgetting its chocolate museum) deserve attention.
In addition to numerous farms and half-timbered dwellings typical of the Alsatian architectural tradition, in the town, most dating from the 17th and 19th centuries, the town has several notable heritage sites.
This is the case of the Sainte-Marguerite parish church, built in 1771 in the village in a baroque style. Leaning on the nave, the imposing side bell tower is however inherited from the earlier medieval church. Inside, we notice the three marbled wood altars, the pulpit and the stalls made by the sculptor François-Antoine Ketterer from Colmar. The richly carved main altar is topped with a baldachin. Above the tabernacle, a painting by Monique Tanisch (1736-1824) represents Saint Marguerite trampling the dragon. In addition to the painted altars, also worth seeing are the communion bench, in wrought iron, made by a village craftsman, medallions adorning the ceiling representing the four Evangelists, a Pietà from the Hattisheim chapel, and the baptismal font carved in 1899 by Klem, like the Stations of the Cross.
South of the village, in the forest, the Hattisheim chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Seven Sorrows has its origins in the 14th century, after the Virgin appeared to a young shepherd. A place of pilgrimage destroyed several times then rebuilt, the chapel was restored in 1969. The porch is surmounted by a niche housing a Pieta made in 1970 (the previous one, from the 17th century, was transferred to the parish church) and Inside, a statue of Our Lady of Seven Sorrows is installed on the baroque style high altar. It was carved from lime wood by Pierre Nuss in 1973. The tabernacle contains a small relic of the Holy Cross.
In the Gare district, the Sainte-Thérèse church was built in a neo-baroque style in the 1930s: it houses several beautifully crafted statues and a fresco created in 1947 notably depicting Saint Thérèse and the Evangelists. The bell tower is much more recent, dating from 1995.
Finally, it is necessary to point out the wayside cross of the Moulin des Pierres, Route des Romans: listed in the Inventory, dated 1693, it presents the rare particularity in Alsace of be sculpted on both sides of the same block of sandstone. Visible are a Christ on the cross and on the reverse a Virgin and Child. The base bears inscriptions, a cherub's head and the symbol of the millers...
On the cultural side, Geispolsheim has first-rate equipment with the Espace André Malraux which includes several rooms and whose influence is notorious: theater companies are hosted there, and shows and events take place throughout the year to the great satisfaction of residents and vacationers... Information on +33 3 90 29 72 72.
In a different register, the Chocolate Museum includes different thematic spaces: the museum itself evokes the origin and history throughout the world and the centuries of this essential gastronomy but there is also a demonstration workshop, an amphitheater, a restaurant, a shop... Open from Tuesday to Sunday. Price: 6 and 8 euros. Contact on +33 3 88 55 04 90.
For athletes, a fitness area is available with free access, "la Cour des Agrès", which includes a cross-training circuit and a "street work out", place where we practice both gymnastics and bodybuilding.
Two city stadiums (rue de Strasbourg and rue des Suédois), an equestrian center (the Alsace Pony Club, contact +33 3 88 67 22 20) and tennis courts (to be reserved with the association local on +33 3 88 66 76 02) are also located.
Walkers, for their part, have the ability to discover the bucolic countryside surrounding the town and the station district via two circuits of the "Vitaboucles" network traced and maintained by the Metropolis of Strasbourg. 8.7 and 7.2 km long, they include passages in the forest or sections along the rivers to the east and south of the territory. From these trails, connections allow you to explore neighboring towns and their green sites, such as Illkirsch, its lakes, its water park or its golf course to the east. Maps and information from the town's tourist office on +33 3 88 52 28 28.
The rivers and gravel pits in the town have something to delight fishing enthusiasts: information on regulations and sites suitable for +33 6 18 53 05 10.
The first Sunday in January, New Year's bullfight (walking race).
On May 1st, flea market in the station area.
At the end of May or beginning of June, the Corpus Christi procession perpetuates a centuries-old tradition with procession and parade in folk costumes, the village being decorated with flowers.
The last Sunday in August, sauerkraut festival with gourmet and musical entertainment.
