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Origin and history

The Napoleonic bench in Harskirchen, built in the third quarter of the 19th century, is part of an Alsatian tradition dating back to the beginning of the century. These public benches, often called Nabele Bänk ("Napoléon benches"), were originally commissioned in 1811-1812 by the Prefect of Bas-Rhin Adrien de Lezay-Marnésia to celebrate the birth of Napoleon I's son, Aiglon. Their practical design allowed the peasants to lay their burdens (baskets on the head or hoods on the back) on a stone lintel, while a lower bench offered a place of rest in the shade of lime trees. Two side terminals were also used as support for riders or hood carriers.

A second wave of construction took place in 1853-1854, driven by the prefect Auguste-César West and Empress Eugénie de Montijo, wife of Napoleon III. Unlike the first series, financed by the municipalities, these new banks were partially subsidized by the Bas-Rhin department. In total, 448 sandstone banks of the Vosges were erected in 1854, marking the roads and paths of Alsace. Many disappeared over time, victims of weather or neglect, especially after the German annexation of 1870, when their usefulness was questioned (the carrying of burdens on the head becoming obsolete).

Harskirchen Bank, which has been listed as a Historic Monument since 1988, illustrates this history. He took over the model of the "King's Bench of Rome" of 1811, with a top slab for the loads and a lower bench to sit down. These monuments, although often mutilated, remain testimonies of the Alsatian rural daily in the 19th century, between agricultural tradition and imperial commemoration. Their late protection, in the 1980s, saved a few copies, such as that of Harskirchen, now owned by the department.

Under German annexation (post-1870), attempts to interview were ordered in 1906 and 1910, but without success. The authorities then considered these banks unsuitable for modern needs, their form being too low and their use linked to lost agricultural practices. Despite this, some survive, such as Molsheim (possibly dating from the 18th century) or Ribeauvillé, prior to Napoleonic models. Their presence evokes a time when these stops rhythmized the life of the Alsatian countryside.

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