Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

In the 19th and 20th centuries, the Sanderter-Ruhlmann salt sandstone potter plant, located at 39 rue des Potiers in Betschdorf (Bas-Rhin), illustrates the peak of Alsatian ceramics. This site, still in operation until the 20th century, embodies the technique of salt varnish and cobalt blue decoration, characteristic of the region. The workshop, founded in 1843 by Émilie and Victor Wingerter, was passed on to their daughter Martine and her husband Loÿs Ruhlmann, master glassmaker, before being taken over by their descendant, who now plans to set up a residence for artists.

Betschdorf, renowned for its pottery since the 18th century, had up to 50 workshops in 1864. The Wingerter-Ruhlmann unit, classified as a historic monument in December 2022, includes a house, a wood oven, a barn made of wood and torchi, and a storage pit. Threatened by the risk of collapse (safe southern gable in 2021), the site was selected in 2023 for the Heritage Lotto, highlighting its cultural importance and urgent need for restoration.

The spatial organization of the building reflects the duality of working and domestic life: the ground floor housed the workshop and shop, while the floor served as a dwelling. The oven, adjacent to the barn, bears witness to traditional artisanal methods. Several pieces of salt sandstone, including pieces with cobalt blue décor, are preserved at the local museum. The whole, representative of the archetype of Alsatian ceramic workshops, documents both the technical and social evolution of this profession.

The Rue des Potiers, an axis linking Niederbetschdorf to Oberbetschdorf, concentrated several workshops, forming a major artisanal pole. The family transmission of know-how, such as that of the Wingerter to Ruhlmann and then to their descendant, illustrates the sustainability of this heritage. Today, the barn, intended to welcome artists, symbolizes the reinvention of these places full of history, between preservation and innovation.

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