Bollwiller owes its past celebrity to the noblemen of the same name. Its origin supposedly comes from a local Celtic god, Baltus or Pol. Bollwiller was first a country estate, then a town which grew into a village before becoming a small fortified town. A castle was built, heritage holding of the "De Bollwiller" family, and around it was a pond with a drawbridge. Nowadays only the castle remains and it has been the property of the "Association des Parents et Amis de l'Enfance inadaptée" (an association that helps handicapped children) since 1961.
In the 19th century, Bollwiller developed in a significant way and was renowned for tree cultivation. Bollwiller became a train station on the railway line Strasbourg-Mulhouse in 1840, which also contribulted to its economical development.
Apart from agriculture, trade - and mostly hardware - became a great resource. Bollwiller became a major railway centre thanks to the Guebwiller railway line and the Ensisheim-Colmar line. It explains why Bollwiller was bombarded during WWI and the attack on the station in the fall of 1944. New lines were established after the discovery of potash mines and Bollwiller became one of the major mining centres of the Haut-Rhin (Upper Rhine) department.
Nowadays Bollwiller is mostly renowned for its numerous activities in and around the youth club and arts centre with its 1,500 members as well as for the events that take place in the multi-purpose room managed by the multi-purpose room management association.

Mairie de Bollwiller
9 rue de Feldkirch
F-68540 Bollwiller
Tel 33 (0) 389 48 11 10
Fax 33 (0) 389 48 85 79
mairie.bollwiller@wanadoo.fr

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