Niederrœdern
"The place where the female part of one of the most well known love affairs was born."
Or, in other words: The place where Friederike Brion was born.
First of all you may wonder:
Who was Friederike Brion?
Some people say that she was just an ordinary Alsatian girl. Which is of course the truth.
But history made it happen that she will never be forgotten. She was born in Niederrœdern on 19 April 1752 and died in Meißenheim on 5 April 1813.
In 1770 at the age of 18 she met the then 21-year young Johann Wolfgang Goethe, actually THE GOETHE, the famous German writer or as George Eliot called him "Germany's greatest man of
letters… and the last true polymath to walk the earth."
What made the first meeting so important for her was that he fell IN LOVE with her. The affair lasted about a year, the time Goethe was a law student in Strasbourg. Several of his poems,
like "Willkommen und Abschied" ("Welcome and Farewell"), "Sesenheimer Lieder" ("Sessenheim songs") and "Heideröslein" originate from this time.
If you want to travel in the footsteps of Friederike Brion (and partly Goethe) then please continue to my Sessenheim | France and Meißenheim| Germany pages.
Google Maps
What to see
Rue dé la Haute Vienne
The Rue dé la Haute Vienne (D34) is one of the main roads in Niederroedern. It starts from where the church defines the town's focal point and leads straight to the west.
Many timber frame houses line both sides of the road. The house No. 26 is where Friederike Brion was born.
Address: Rue dé la Haute Vienne, 67470 Niederrœdern
the house where Friederike Brion was born
This nice little black and white timber frame house is the place where Friederike Brion was born.
Address: 26 Rue dé la Haute Vienne, 67470 Niederrœdern
Directions: The house is less than 100 metre away from the town's centre where the church and the town hall are located. Rue dé la Haute Vienne is the town's main street
(D34).
Eglise Saint Jacques - Church Saint James
If you may wonder about the title, the latin Sanctus Iacobus is named Saint James in English.
The ecumenically used church was built in 1760-65 (as Friederike Brion was 8-13 years old, she may have seen it being built).
The inside, space and objects, everything is very simple. The walls and ceiling are coloured in a light pink.
The pulpit and side altar
Beside the choir still in the nave a wooden pulpit on the left and a wooden side altar on the right draw the attention of the visitor. Both are simply carved wooden furnitures.
The choir
The choir of this 1765 built church is very simple, as is the whole church. The altar has a separate picture hanging on the wall. Worth mentioning are the two stained glass windows, left and right of the altar. They are from 1951.
The organ
The organ in the 1765 built church holds some surprise.
It was built in the 18th century in 1754, so it is slightly older than this church, but came to this church not until 1862. Its original place was in a former church in Soultz-sous-Forêts where
it was built by J.F. Alffermann or Johann Carl Baumann. Later than it was transferred to Niederroedern by the organ builder's house STIEHR.
Website: http://pagesperso-orange.fr/eisenberg/orgues/niedrroe.htm
Address: Rue dé la Haute Vienne, 67470 Niederrœdern
Directions: At the beginning of Rue dé la Haute Vienne, close to Rue de Blond and Rue de Bellac.
Phone: +33 (0)3 88 86 51 38
Original town map
This is the town's map as it is hanging opposite the town hall.
Coat of arms
Where to hike
Walking course Fronberg
The circuit Fronberg is a walking trail marked by the Club Vosgien with a red circle and starts at the town hall (Mairie) where also this map hangs.
It takes 75 minutes to complete the course
Start: 12 Rue Haute Vienne, 67470 Niederrœdern
Note: The page was originally created on May 12, 2008 for Virtualtourist.com. It contributed 9 tips and 27 photos to the Niederroedern Travel guide, was Top Rated and ranked No.1 of the Top 5 Niederroedern Writers. The site was closed down on Feb 27, 2017.