Arrondissements of the Haut-Rhin department

There are 4 arrondissements in the Haut-Rhin department. The French departments, and in other countries, are divided into arrondissements, which may be translated into English as districts (in some cases, as boroughs). The capital of an arrondissement is called a subprefecture.

If the prefecture (capital) of the department is in an arrondissement, that prefecture is the capital of the arrondissement, acting both as a prefecture and as a subprefecture.

Arrondissements are further divided into communes.

The arrondissements of Haut-Rhin are:

+ Arrondissements of Haut-Rhin INSEEcode  Arrondissement  Capital  Population(2014)  Area(km²)  Density(Inh./km²)  Communes 681  Altkirch  Altkirch  69,645  663.1    108 682  Colmar-Ribeauvillé  Colmar  200,243  1,127.3    98 684  Mulhouse  Mulhouse  350,032  707.1    79 686  Thann-Guebwiller  Thann  140,214  1,027.7    81

History
Haut-Rhin is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was divided in three districts: Altkirch, Belfort and Colmar, with Colmar as is capital.

In 1800, with the creation of the arrondissements in France, the three districts were changed into five arrondissements: Colmar, Altkirch, Belfort, Delémont and Porrentruy. The arrondissements Delémont and Porrentruy were eliminated in 1814 and transferred to Switzerland.

The subprefecture of Altkirch was moved to Mulhouse in 1857.

The Haut-Rhin department was eliminated in 1871 when the territory became part of Germany except for a part that forms the Territoire de Belfort.

In 1919, Haut-Rhin is again an department when the territory became part of France with the arrondissements Colmar-Ville, Colmar-Campagne, Altkirch, Guebwiller, Mulhouse, Ribeauvillé and Thann. Its capital is Colmar.

The arrondissements Colmar-Ville and Colmar-Campagne were combined in 1934 to form the arrondissement of Colmar.

The arrondissement of Guebwiller was eliminated in 2015 and its territory combined with Tharn to form the arrondissement of Thann-Guebwiller. In that same year, the arrondissement of Ribeauvillé was also eliminated and its territory combined with Colmar to form the arrondissement of Colmar-Ribeauvillé.Décret n° 2014-1720 du 29 décembre 2014 portant suppression des arrondissements de Guebwiller et de Ribeauvillé (département du Haut-Rhin)

Related pages
 List of arrondissements of France

References

Haut-Rhin
Category:Lists of arrondissements of France