Merkwiller-Pechelbronn

Merkwiller-Pechelbronn (German: Merkweiler-Pechelbronn) is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Grand Est in north-eastern France.^[3]

Merkwiller-Pechelbronn
Commune
The church in Pechelbronn
Coat of arms
Location of Merkwiller-Pechelbronn
Merkwiller-Pechelbronn Show map of France Merkwiller-Pechelbronn Show map of Grand Est
Coordinates: 48°56′N 7°50′E
Country	France
Region	Grand Est
Department	Bas-Rhin
Arrondissement	Haguenau-Wissembourg
Canton	Reichshoffen
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Laura Valentine Dorffer[1]
Area 1	3.76 km2 (1.45 sq mi)
Population  (2022)[2]	923
• Density	250/km2 (640/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	67290 /67250
Elevation	153–199 m (502–653 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

It is notable as the original home of oil sands mining.

Oil sands were mined from 1745 in Merkwiller-Pechelbronn,^[4] initially under the direction of Louis Pierre Ancillon de la Sablonnière, by special appointment of Louis XV. The Pechelbronn oil field was active until 1970, and was the birthplace of companies such as Antar and Schlumberger. The first modern oil sands refinery was built there in 1857; and it also had the first school of oil technology.^[5]

See also

• Communes of the Bas-Rhin department