Seppois-le-Bas

History

While the village may have existed as far back as the time of the Celts, the oldest document referring to Saipoy dates from 1164. Another from 1264 and kept in the Lucelle collection confirms its existence. A text dated 1302 reveals a distinction between Seppois-le-Bas (Septen inferioris) and Seppois-le-Haut. In 1530, the religious authorities and the faithful of a parish comprising the two Seppois, Luffendorf and part of Bisel, signed a charter of 32 decrees, which would be the first of its kind on Alsatian territory. It is also around this date that the marriage of Marie de Hagenbach and Jean Eusèbe de Breitenlandenberg was celebrated. Their descendants lived in a manor in the village until 1818. During the Thirty Years' War, the Swedes ravaged the country and in 1633, only one house in the village remained standing. In 1789, the Lord of Seppois represented the nobility of Southern Alsace at the Estates General in Versailles. At the end of July 1789, during the Great Fear, the peasants attacked the manor. During the Terror, Jean Bochelen, vicar of the village who celebrated masses in secret, was arrested and shot in Colmar in 17989. In 1871, by the Treaty of Frankfurt, Alsace was ceded to the German Empire, with the exception of the southwestern part of the Haut-Rhin which became the Territoire de Belfort. Due to its bordering position with this new French department, Seppois-le-Bas became a border village and hosted a customs post. At the beginning of the 20th century, Seppois-le-Bas benefited from the effects of the economic growth of the time. Four annual fairs were set up and a market was established every Wednesday; both have had some success. Although farmers remain largely in the majority, the village also has four restaurants, three carpenters, two…

Geography

Bordering the neighboring town of Seppois-le-Haut, it is located at the intersection of the Basel - Montbéliard (the old national road 463) and Porrentruy - Altkirch roads. The nearest major cities are Bâle 40 kilometers to the east, Mulhouse 30 kilometers to the north, Belfort 40 kilometers to the northwest, Montbéliard 35 km to the west and Delémont 35 km to the south. The Largue is the main river that crosses the town.

Most-observed species

• Great Tit

  Parus major Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  2,308
• Common Chaffinch

  Fringilla coelebs Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  2,229
• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  2,196
• Eurasian Blue Tit

  Cyanistes caeruleus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,045
• Carrion Crow

  Corvus corone Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,772
• European Robin

  Erithacus rubecula (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,660
• Common Wood-Pigeon

  Columba palumbus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,417
• Great Spotted Woodpecker

  Dendrocopos major (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,352

Most recent

• M 3.5 — 2024-06-27
  1 km SSW of Todtmoos, Germany
• M 4.4 — 2023-03-22
  1 km NW of Pont-de-Roide, France
• M 3.9 — 2022-09-10
  1 km WSW of Zimmersheim, France
• M 4.1 — 2021-12-24
  2 km WSW of Blamont, France
• M 3.1 — 2018-05-04
  2 km W of Schliengen, Germany
• M 3.6 — 2009-05-05
  2 km NNW of Steinen, Germany