Napoleonian bench à Schillersdorf dans le Bas-Rhin

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Origin and history

The Napoleonic bench in Schillersdorf, dated 1860, is part of an Alsatian tradition dating back to the early 19th century. These public stone benches, often accompanied by trees (dairy or chestnut trees), were intended for farmers visiting markets. Women placed their baskets on their heads, while men hung their hoods on them. Their design met a practical need: to offer a shady stop along communal roads and roads.

The origin of these benches dates back to 1811-1812, when the prefect of Bas-Rhin Adrien de Lezay-Marnesia launched an initiative to commemorate the birth of the King of Rome (son of Napoleon I). A circular dated 22 April 1811 directed municipalities to erect a house every 2.5 km, financed by the municipalities. These Nabele Bänk ("Napoléon benches") were to be accompanied by 4 to 5 trees, with for symbolic inscription: "We owe it to the King of Rome". About 125 benches were built in 1811, but few survived.

A second wave of constructions took place in 1853-1854, under the impulse of the prefect Auguste-César West, taking over the idea of Lezay-Marnesia to honour a vow of Empress Eugénie de Montijo, wife of Napoleon III. This time, the department took charge of the costs, allowing the building of 448 sandstone banks of the Vosges. These monuments, often damaged by time or neglect, were partially protected in the 1980s through inscriptions to the Historical Monuments.

The Schillersdorf Bank, located on CD 105, dates from 1860 on its cross-section. It illustrates the standardized type from the circular of 1853, with two sizes, a low seat and a top slab to place the burdens. Ranked in 1988, it is now owned by the department. Its condition reflects the historical vicissitudes: after the German annexation of 1870, the local authorities judged these benches "obsolete" in 1910, due to the abandonment of the man-backed port for the benefit of the carriages.

These repos, symbols of a time when Alsace was rural and marked by collective agricultural traditions, were gradually abandoned. Their late safeguard (1980s) reflects a renewed interest in this vernacular heritage, linked to Napoleonic memory and 19th century peasant life.

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