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Origin and history

The Napoleonic bench-rest of Bischholtz is a stonestone monument erected in the 3rd quarter of the 19th century, more precisely in 1854, as indicated by its engraved vintage. It is part of a series of public banks built in Alsace at the initiative of the prefect Auguste-César West, taking over an earlier project by Adrien de Lezay-Marnésia (1811-1812). These benches, called Nabele Bänk ("Napoléon benches"), were intended to provide a resting place for peasants carrying their goods to markets. Their typical structure included a top slab to lay the burdens, a stone seat, and often four lime trees for shade.

The first Alsatian bench-rests date from 1811-1812, commanded by Lezay-Marnésia to celebrate the birth of the King of Rome (son of Napoleon I). The municipalities had to finance these monuments, but some refused, invoking inadequate land. In 1853, under Napoleon III, the prefect West revived the project to mark the anniversary of the imperial marriage with Eugénie de Montijo. This time, the department took over the costs, facilitating the construction of 448 benches in 1854, carved in the sandstone of the Vosges. Many disappeared by negligence or destruction, especially after 1870, when Alsace was annexed by Germany.

Bischholtz Bank, located at the east entrance of the village on CD 326, carries the 1854 vintage on its cross-section. He was registered in the Historical Monuments by order of 9 May 1988, thus enjoying heritage protection. Its functional design reflects its original use: rest for travellers and support for heavy loads. The German instructions of 1910 had declared these benches obsolete, considering their form inappropriate for new habits (such as carriages). Despite this, some, such as Bischholtz's, remain as testimonies of Alsatian rural life.

The benches also symbolize the historical tensions of Alsace. Their interview was neglected after 1870, and in 1906 a press campaign alerted them to their degradation, without effect. In 1910, the German authorities ordered that they no longer be restored, considering them as relics of a past. It was only from the 1980s that many were protected, including Bischholtz, recognizing their heritage and memorial value.

Today, this bench remains a rare vestige of the 448 built in 1854, illustrating both the social ingenuity of the 19th century and the political upheavals of Alsace. Its inscription in the title of Historical Monuments makes it a key element of local heritage, linked to Napoleonic history and peasant life.

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