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Saint-Louis (Municipality, Haut-Rhin, France)

Flag of Saint-Louis - Image by Arnaud Leroy, 17 January 2004

Presentation of Saint-Louis
Flag of Saint-Louis

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Presentation of Saint-Louis

The municipality of Saint-Louis (19,761 inhabitants in 2009; 1,685 ha) is the third most populated municipality in the department of Haut-Rhin. Saint-Louis is located in Sundgau, close to the borders with Switzerland and Germany, an area also known as the Three Borders' Country.
Located very close to Basel, Saint-Louis hosts the EuroAirport Basel-Saint-Louis, inaugurated in 1970, on its municipal territory.
The natural reserve area of La Petite Camargue Alsacienne is partially located on the municipal territory of Saint-Louis (borough Neuweg). This protected area, created in 1982, stretches over 150 ha around the former main bed of the Rhine. An ancient fish farm with ponds and buildings dated 1853 (Second Empire) can be seen there.

The town of Saint-Louis was founded in 1684 by King Louis XIV and placed under the patronage of King Saint Louis (Louis IX), upon request of the inhabitants of the town (Royal Decree from 28 November 1684).
Saint-Louis was initially a small village, part of the municipality of Village-Neuf. Due to its location on the road between Mulhouse and Basel, Saint-Louis developed around a customs house and a post house.
After the Revolution, Saint-Louis progressively gained municipal autonomy. In 1793, Saint-Louis was officially merged with Michelfelden and renamed Bourglibre. In 1827, the parish of Saint-Louis was created, while Saint-Louis gained its own municipal territory in 1847.
In 1866, Saint-Louis had 2,500 inhabitants, several workshops and a brewery. Industrialization developed until 1914 fror the neighbouring city of Basel.
On 20 November 1944, Saint-Louis was the first Alsatian town liberated from the German occupation. In 1953, it was merged with Bourgfelden, and annexed La Chaussée in 1958.

Source: Municipal website

Ivan Sache, 17 January 2004

Flag of Saint-Louis

The flag of Saint-Louis is a banner of the municipal arms, whose history was related by Christian Wilsdorf, former Director of the Departmental Archives of Haut-Rhin, in Les armoiries de Saint-Louis, Memento municipal # 7 (1969-1970).

The coat of arms of Saint-Louis, "Azure three fleur-de-lis argent 2 + 1", was designed in 1901-1902, for inclusion in a stained-glass window of the cantonal Court of Mulhouse. The arms recall both Saint Louis, the patron saint of the town, and King Louis XIV, the founder of the town. These arms are based on the arms of the kings of France, "Azure three fleur-de-lis or 2 + 1".
The first version of the municipal arms was heraldically incorrect, with an horizontal stripe or placed on the fleur-de-lis. The mistake was corrected in a further version of the municipal arms, still in use today.

Pascal Vagnat & Ivan Sache, 17 January 2004