Obernai, One Of The Most Beautiful Village In France, 4K, Walking Tour

Obernai is a commune in the Bas‑Rhin department of Alsace, northeastern France, situated on the eastern slopes of the Vosges mountains. The town has grown from 6,304 residents in 1968 to 11,279 in 2017. Archaeological finds reveal a Neolithic necropolis dating from 5,000 to 4,600 BC, linked to the Linear Pottery culture. Historically, Obernai was part of the Alsace dukes’ domain in the 7th century and is the birthplace of St. Odile, patron saint of Alsace. The town received its charter in 1240 under the Hohenstaufen family, joined the Décapole in 1354, and reached its zenith in the 15th and 16th centuries, even hosting Emperor Ferdinand I in 1562. The Thirty‑Years’ War devastated the town, which was occupied by Imperial and Swedish forces before being ceded to France in 1679. It was annexed by Germany in 1871, returned to France after World War I, and during World War II housed a Waffen‑SS women’s training centre established in 1942.