Illtal is a village in the Haut-Rhin, in the Grand Est region, 30 km south of Mulhouse.
The municipality was officially created on 1 January 2016 following the merger of the villages of Grentzingen (553 inhabitants), Henflingen (210 inhabitants) and Oberdorf (596 inhabitants), with a total population of nearly 1 400 inhabitants.
The name of the town which means "Valley of the Ill" in the German language evokes the high valley of the Ill which crosses the territory.
Illtal belongs to the historical and natural region of Sundsau (Southern Alsace), a dynamic rural area at the crossroads of three urban centers: Mulhouse, Belfort and Basel, Switzerland, whose bishops were once owners of the land, especially at Illtal.
The small heritage of the three villages now grouped together, the charm of their half-timbered houses and their natural environment make Illtal an interesting stop for travelers visiting Alsace.
In terms of heritage, the village of Grentzingen has the most notable. A discovery can begin with the church of St. Martin, rebuilt in 1784 in the center of the small town, away from the original building, which dated from the thirteenth century, but was on a flood zone. Featuring a sober exterior, the interior of the church designed by a Swiss architect is more flamboyant in appearance.
To see also, still on Grentzingen, the buildings of a former oil mill with a manège built in the years 1860 and which worked until 1960. Based on the animal energy and not the course of the river, it allowed the production of the oils traditional rapeseed and nuts.
However, the visitor discovering the village will be especially seduced by the charm of the traditional half-timbered houses, dating from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, in the main street of the railway, rue de Willer (around the church) and rue de Ruederbach. This unique and picturesque ensemble has its origin in the establishment in the commune of the end of the Revolution in the first years of the Napoleonic empire of five carpenters. Some houses have been renovated in the tradition, but it should be noted that the houses use various techniques, but all were designed in the spirit of rural architecture of the eighteenth century, with an autonomous framework specific to each level of dwelling and symmetrically arranged woods. Note also that these half-timbered houses were considered movable because they can be dismantled and reassembled at another location!
In Oberdorf, which has the shape of a village-street, there are also traditional houses, but the locality does not have a church. Same observation for Henflingen.
Finally, at the option of walks or hikes, there will be old wash houses and fountains or remains of small bridges, significant of the hydrographic wealth of this territory.
Numerous hiking and mountain biking on trails in the Sundsau region include the town of Illtal. Documentation and information on +33 3 89 08 23 88.
The region of Illtal is also on the route of EuroVelo 6, a route adapted for cyclists, linking Basel to the Atlantic coast. Information on +33 3 89 08 23 88.
For fishing enthusiasts, finally, learn about the sites along the rivers or numerous ponds that mark out the territory as well as the regulation at +33 3 89 60 64 74.
In mid-September, on Grentzingen, harvest festival. On the program, traditional animations.
In mid-November, the patronal feast of Saint Martin in Grentzingen.
