domaine martin schaetzel
and WWII
and WWII
| Prior to the winter of 1944, Ammerschwihr was a beautiful, ancient town built from stone. |
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| Alsace, World War II & Ammerschwihr |
| The Romans began building towns and planting grapes in the foothills of the Vosges more two thousand years ago. Rocky slopes running down to a fertile valley and major river are perfect for vines and fortified defenses. From those initial settlements, Alsace has grown into one of Europe’s greatest wine growing regions and thanks to natural resources and a central location, one of the continent’s most fiercely contested territories. During the Middle Ages, fortified towns and cities were conceived and built as safe havens for the surrounding population. Long before wine writers would wax poetic about geological diversity amongst Grand Cru vineyards, rocks of a startling range of color and type were quarried to build towns, cathedrals and most importantly, defensive walls. These postcard-perfect towns withstood the test of time, but many could not stand up to gun powder in 1944. |
| Wine grows in abundance on both sides of the river Rhine, but other natural riches are not as evenly distributed. Coal is mined in abundance on the eastern and currently German side of the river. Iron ore, needed in the production of iron and steel is tucked into the fingers of the Vosges mountains, west of the Rhine in modern day France. Beginning in the industrial revolution, Alsatian iron ore was heated with German coal in factories on both sides. As a prime source of steel for tanks and agricultural riches to feed the troops, Alsace was coveted by the Germans. |
