Benfeld

Benfeld (French pronunciation: [bɛnfɛld] ^ⓘ; Alsatian: Banfald [ˈbanfalt]) is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Grand Est in northeastern France.^[3] It is situated on the river Ill. In the nearby hamlet Ehl there is an archaeological site with the remains of the Gallo-Roman city Ellelum or Helvetum. Benfeld station has rail connections to Strasbourg and Colmar.

Benfeld Banfald
Commune
The Hôtel de Ville
Coat of arms
Location of Benfeld
Benfeld Show map of France Benfeld Show map of Grand Est
Coordinates: 48°22′16″N 7°35′42″E
Country	France
Region	Grand Est
Department	Bas-Rhin
Arrondissement	Sélestat-Erstein
Canton	Erstein
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Jacky Wolfarth[1]
Area 1	7.79 km2 (3.01 sq mi)
Population  (2022)[2]	5,922
• Density	760/km2 (1,970/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	67028 /67230
Dialling codes	0388
Elevation	155–162 m (509–531 ft) (avg. 160 m or 520 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

The missionary to remote northern Australia, Francis Xavier Gsell, was born in Benfeld in 1872.

Population

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1793 1,309 —     1800 1,220 −1.00% 1806 1,188 −0.44% 1821 1,794 +2.79% 1831 2,230 +2.20% 1836 2,555 +2.76% 1841 2,688 +1.02% 1846 2,807 +0.87% 1851 3,001 +1.35% 1856 2,926 −0.50% 1861 2,745 −1.27% 1866 2,757 +0.09% 1871 2,603 −1.14% 1875 2,635 +0.31% 1880 2,797 +1.20% 1885 2,544 −1.88% 1890 2,324 −1.79% 1895 2,479 +1.30%	Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1900 2,388 −0.75% 1905 2,466 +0.64% 1910 2,640 +1.37% 1921 2,518 −0.43% 1926 2,655 +1.07% 1931 2,741 +0.64% 1936 2,838 +0.70% 1946 2,588 −0.92% 1954 2,886 +1.37% 1962 3,449 +2.25% 1968 3,441 −0.04% 1975 3,798 +1.42% 1982 4,451 +2.29% 1990 4,330 −0.34% 1999 4,878 +1.33% 2007 5,315 +1.08% 2012 5,667 +1.29% 2017 5,753 +0.30%
Source: EHESS[4] and INSEE (1968-2017)[5]

Sights

Old town and Hôtel de Ville

The core of the town boasts several ancient buildings, chief among them the Renaissance Hôtel de Ville (town hall) with its 1619 automata. The handsome 1846 synagogue survived the Nazi occupation.^[6]

See also

• Communes of the Bas-Rhin department