Schirrhoffen
Details
Schirrhoffen is a charming little village in the north of Alsace, about 10 minutes from Haguenau and 30 minutes from Strasbourg. Schirrhoffen's current spelling is believed to date back to the time of the French Revolution. The name "Schirrhoffen" has a double origin: Schüre or Schir and Hof. Schüre or Schir, in German Scheune, means shed, shed to store hay. Hof refers to the former castle of the Schirrhof masters. Schirrhoffen therefore means "the barns near the castle". In the 19th century, Schirrhoffen was home to one of the largest rural Jewish communities in the Lower Rhine. Rare and at the same time unique in Alsace, Jews were in the majority in the village. In 1841, 71% of Schirrhoffen's population was Jewish. But following the emigration of Jews, only 38 Jews still live in Schirrhoffen in 1936. Three-quarters of them disappeared in the Nazi death camps and only two people returned to Schirrhoffen after the war. This community has now completely disappeared. The only proofs of the existence of this community are the school and the cemetery. In the centre of the village, on a hill on the terrace bordering the Ried river, stands the old castle, around which the village has grown. Schirrhoffen was affected by 49% of the disaster at the end of the Second World War.
