Ribeauvillé

The town is located around {{Convert|16|km|0}} north of Colmar and {{Convert|75|km|0}} south of Strasbourg. It lies at the base of the Vosges Mountains.

Ribeauvillé has an oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification Cfb). The average annual temperature in Ribeauvillé is {{cvt|11.4|C}}. The average annual rainfall is {{cvt|714.9|mm}} with August as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in July, at around {{cvt|20.5|C}}, and lowest in January, at around {{cvt|1.8|C}}. The highest temperature ever recorded in Ribeauvillé was {{cvt|40.1|C}} on 25 July 2019; the coldest temperature ever recorded was {{cvt|-17.7|C}} on 20 December 2009.

{{Weather box

|collapsed=y

|location= Ribeauvillé (1981–2010 averages, extremes 1995−2020)

|metric first= Y

|single line= Y

|Jan record high C = 17.1

|Feb record high C = 21.9

|Mar record high C = 24.2

|Apr record high C = 29.9

|May record high C = 34.6

|Jun record high C = 37.9

|Jul record high C = 40.1

|Aug record high C = 39.7

|Sep record high C = 33.9

|Oct record high C = 29.8

|Nov record high C = 22.9

|Dec record high C = 17.5

|year record high C = 40.1

|Jan high C = 4.8

|Feb high C = 7.9

|Mar high C = 11.7

|Apr high C = 16.5

|May high C = 21.1

|Jun high C = 24.7

|Jul high C = 26.1

|Aug high C = 25.5

|Sep high C = 21.2

|Oct high C = 16.3

|Nov high C = 9.3

|Dec high C = 5.0

|year high C = 15.9

|Jan mean C = 1.8

|Feb mean C = 4.1

|Mar mean C = 7.2

|Apr mean C = 11.3

|May mean C = 15.8

|Jun mean C = 19.2

|Jul mean C = 20.5

|Aug mean C = 20.0

|Sep mean C = 15.9

|Oct mean C = 11.8

|Nov mean C = 6.0

|Dec mean C = 2.3

|year mean C = 11.4

|Jan low C = -1.2

|Feb low C = 0.3

|Mar low C = 2.7

|Apr low C = 6.1

|May low C = 10.5

|Jun low C = 13.6

|Jul low C = 14.9

|Aug low C = 14.5

|Sep low C = 10.7

|Oct low C = 7.3

|Nov low C = 2.7

|Dec low C = -0.3

|year low C = 6.8

|Jan record low C = -15.0

|Feb record low C = -14.1

|Mar record low C = -11.4

|Apr record low C = -3.7

|May record low C = .9

|Jun record low C = 4.3

|Jul record low C = 6.0

|Aug record low C = 6.0

|Sep record low C = 1.4

|Oct record low C = -4.0

|Nov record low C = -10.4

|Dec record low C = -17.7

|year record low C = -17.7

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation mm = 44.8

|Feb precipitation mm = 48.1

|Mar precipitation mm = 48.5

|Apr precipitation mm = 45.4

|May precipitation mm = 74.1

|Jun precipitation mm = 66.3

|Jul precipitation mm = 74.2

|Aug precipitation mm = 78.2

|Sep precipitation mm = 52.1

|Oct precipitation mm = 68.4

|Nov precipitation mm = 56.7

|Dec precipitation mm = 58.1

|year precipitation mm = 714.9

|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm

|Jan precipitation days = 9.4

|Feb precipitation days = 9.6

|Mar precipitation days = 10.3

|Apr precipitation days = 9.1

|May precipitation days = 11.0

|Jun precipitation days = 9.1

|Jul precipitation days = 10.7

|Aug precipitation days = 10.8

|Sep precipitation days = 7.3

|Oct precipitation days = 9.5

|Nov precipitation days = 10.9

|Dec precipitation days = 10.9

|year precipitation days = 118.6

|source 1 = Meteociel{{cite web|url=https://www.meteociel.fr/obs/clim/normales_records.php?code=68269005|title=Normales et records pour Ribeau. - Acaci (68)|publisher=Meteociel|access-date=16 June 2022}}}}

Known in the 8th century as Rathaldovilare, the town passed from the Bishops of Basel to the Lords of Rappoltstein, who were among the most famous nobles in Alsace. The Lord of Rappoltstein was the King or Protector of the wandering minstrels of the land, who purchased his protection by paying him a tax.

When the family became extinct in 1673, this office of "King of the Pipers" (Pfeiferkönig) passed to the Counts Palatine of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld. The minstrels had a pilgrimage chapel near Rappoltsweiler, dedicated to their patron saint, Maria von Dusenbach, and here they held an annual feast on 8 September. Ribeauvillé was known as Rappoltsweiler until 1918.

{{Historical populations

|source = INSEE[https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/4515315?geo=COM-68269#ancre-POP_T1 Population en historique depuis 1968], INSEE

|percentages = pagr

|align = left

|1968 |4137

|1975 |4282

|1982 |4506

|1990 |4774

|1999 |4929

|2007 |4916

|2012 |4806

|2017 |4729

}}

Its inhabitants are called Ribeauvillois in French.

{{clear left}}

Ribeauvillé is in part surrounded by ancient walls, and has many picturesque medieval houses, and two old churches, of St Gregory and St Augustine, both fine Gothic buildings. The town hall contains a valuable collection of antiquities. The Carolabad, a saline spring with a temperature of {{cvt|18|C}}. (which held a great reputation in the Middle Ages), was re-discovered in 1888, and made Ribeauvillé a spa.

Near the town are the ruins of three famous castles, Saint-Ulrich, Girsberg and Haut-Ribeaupierre, which formerly belonged to the lords of Ribeaupierre (or Rappoltstein).

The forest of Ribeauvillé is home to the largest giant sequoia outside of the United States.[https://www.monumentaltrees.com/en/fra/hautrhin/ribeauville/6150_foretdomanialederibeauville/12175/ Giant sequoia in the forêt domaniale de Ribeauvillé]

The former synagogue of the Jewish community is located on the Rue de la Synagogue and is currently used as the town's cinema.

The economy of Ribeauvillé is mainly based on:

• Tourism, because of its historical heritage and several festivals as, for example Fête des Ménétriers or " Pfifferdaj" (first week-end of September) and Marché de Noël (Christmas);
• Viticulture: Ribeauvillé is located in the middle of the Alsace wineyards and is home to many viticulturists. Most of them are associated in a winemaking co-operative named Cave de Ribeauvillé (established 1895), one of the oldest in France;Cooperative website [http://alsace.vins-ribeauville.com/ alsace.vins-ribeauville.com] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130318030137/http://alsace.vins-ribeauville.com/ |date=2013-03-18 }}
• Manufacturing: There is the fabric printing factory Beauvillé and a Cordon Electronics factory located nearby.

• Philipp Jakob Spener (1635–1705), Lutheran theologian
• Johann Baptist Wendling (1723–1797), flautist and composer
• Jean-Michel Beysser (1753–1794), French general
• Carl August von Steinheil (1801–1870), physicist
• Maurice Lévy (1838–1910), engineer
• Jean-François Klobb (1857–1899), French officer
• Hubert Keller, chef

• Communes of the Haut-Rhin department

{{Reflist}}

{{Commons|Ribeauvillé}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20090210084106/http://ribeauville-riquewihr.com/client/index.php?idsite=1 Tourist site]
• [http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=115&letter=R Jewish Encyclopedia]

{{Haut-Rhin communes}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ribeauville}}

Category:Communes of Haut-Rhin

Category:Subprefectures in France

Category:Jewish communities