Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The farm of Niederhergheim, located on 2 rue des Vignes in the Alsatian village of the same name (High Rhine Department), is a remarkable example of 18th century rural architecture. Built during the 3rd quarter of the 18th century (a lintel carries the vintage 1768 with the initials FB), it forms a closed enclosure comprising a house of housing, a multifunctional barn (celler, stables, fenil), outbuildings (poil, soda), and a well dated. The house combines a stone ground floor with a pan-wood floor, while an annex building, potentially an old school according to oral tradition, is entirely stone. A 1505 Renaissance lintel (JB initials), re-used in the fence wall, bears witness to an earlier occupation of the site.

The whole, exceptionally well preserved, illustrates the traditional organisation of Alsatian farms: a central courtyard accessible by a gate, buildings arranged in U, and agricultural and domestic functions grouped together. The barn, with its pan-wood frame and pebbly floor, housed both reserves (fenil), animals (stables, dovecote), and storage spaces. The house retains remarkable elements such as a large ground floor room with woodwork and a ceramic stove, as well as a period staircase. Two doors to the wall of enclosures bear the dates 1818 and 1505, highlighting the transformations of the site over centuries.

Classified as a historical monument by order of 19 February 1999, the farm protects its facades, roofs, frames, as well as interior and exterior elements (well, fence wall, gate). The alleged sponsor, F. Bellicam (cited as author), may be related to the construction or renovation of the 18th century. The site, still located at its original address, offers a tangible testimony of Alsatian rural life before the Industrial Revolution, where farms and local schools played a central role in the community organization.

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