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Origin and history

The bench-rest of the king of Rome, located in Goersdorf, is a typical monument of Alsace from the early 19th century. These public benches, built of stone, were used as stopovers for peasants visiting markets or fairs. The women placed their heavy baskets on the lintel, while the men placed their hoods there. Often surrounded by lime trees, these benches were also shaded resting places.

In 1811-1812, the prefect of Bas-Rhin Adrien de Lezay-Marnesia launched a programme to build these benches to celebrate the birth of the king of Rome, son of Napoleon I and Marie-Louise of Austria. In a circular dated 22 April 1811 he asked the municipalities to erect these monuments every 2.5 km, with a bench and trees, so that the travelers could say: "We owe it to the King of Rome". 125 benches were built in 1811, but few survived.

These benches, called Nabele Bänk ("Napoléon's benches"), were financed by the municipalities, although some refused on the basis of inappropriate land. A second wave of constructions took place in 1854, under the impetus of the Prefect Auguste-César West, to commemorate the marriage of Napoleon III and Empress Eugénie. This time, the costs were borne by the department, allowing the construction of 448 sandstone banks in the Vosges.

Over time, these monuments suffered from weather and indifference. In 1906, under German annexation, maintenance measures were proposed but never implemented. In 1910, their shape was deemed obsolete, the upper slab becoming useless with the appearance of carriages. The damaged benches were no longer restored. In the 1980s, some were finally protected as historical monuments, including that of Goersdorf, registered on 10 February 1983.

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