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Origin and history

The Napoleonic bench-rest of Bouxwiller is a typical monument of Alsace, built in the 19th century to offer a resting place for peasants going to the markets. These benches, often accompanied by linden trees, allowed to lay the burdens (baskets or hoods) and rest during the journeys. Their design met a practical need while serving as a commemorative symbol, linked to prefectural initiatives under the Empire and the Second Empire.

These benches were erected in two main waves: the first between 1811 and 1812, at the initiative of Prefect Adrien de Lezay-Marnésia, to celebrate the birth of the King of Rome, the son of Napoleon I. A circular of 1811 instructed the communes to install these restrooms every 2.5 km, with trees for shade. The costs were borne by the municipalities, although some resisted on the basis of geographical constraints. Approximately 125 banks were built during this first phase, but few survived.

A second wave took place in 1853-1854, under the impetus of Prefect Auguste-César West, taking up a similar idea to commemorate the marriage of Napoleon III and Empress Eugénie. This time, 448 Vosges sandstone benches were erected, financed by the department. These monuments, often damaged by time or neglected after 1870, were partially restored in the 1980s. That of Bouxwiller, dated 1856, was reborn in the twentieth century but retains its original vocation.

Bouxwiller's bench-reposoir, which was listed as a historic monument in 1988, illustrates this dual history: utility for Alsatian rural populations, and political, linked to Napoleonic regimes. Its late registration reflects a heritage awareness, after decades of abandonment or transformations ill adapted to new uses.

Under German annexation (after 1870), maintenance attempts were launched in 1906 and 1910, but considered unnecessary because of the obsolescence of the manual port, replaced by carts. The benches, too low and uncomfortable, ceased to be maintained. Today, they bear witness to a unique rural and memorial heritage, linked to the social and political history of Alsace.

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