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Famous people · Bischwiller, Bas-Rhin

15 famous people come from Bischwiller, Otto Meissner the best known

Most widely known is Otto Meissner, the German politician, with articles in 29 languages. The French footballer Lucien Muller ranks second, ahead of Jean de Birkenfeld-Gelnhausen. For every 10,000 residents there are 12.3 on the list, well above the typical Bas-Rhin town’s 2.5. Births span 1638 to 1959, from Jean de Birkenfeld-Gelnhausen to Claude Kern.

#2 best knownLucien MullerSports · 1934–2026
+11more
Born here
15
confirmed by Wikipedia
Best known
Otto Meissner
29 Wikipedia and sister-site articles
First
1638
Jean de Birkenfeld-Gelnhausen
Youngest
1959
Claude Kern
Most common field
Politics & Law
4 people
The best known

Born in Bischwiller

Ranked by languages covered: Otto Meissner with 29, then Lucien Muller with 26 and Jean de Birkenfeld-Gelnhausen with 17.

OM#1
Politics & Law

Otto Meissner

1880–1953

German politician (1880-1953)

29 Wikipedia and sister-site articlesWikipedia ↗
Lucien Muller#2
Sports

Lucien Muller

1934–2026

French footballer (1934–2026)

26 Wikipedia and sister-site articlesWikipedia ↗
Jean de Birkenfeld-Gelnhausen#3
Military

Jean de Birkenfeld-Gelnhausen

1638–1704

Count Palatine of Gelnhausen (1638-1704)

17 Wikipedia and sister-site articlesWikipedia ↗
Through the years

When Bischwiller’s famous people were born

Count by decade and the 1880s come out on top, with 2 births.

Ancien RégimeRevolution to EmpireBelle ÉpoqueThe 20th century1650170017501800185019001950Otto MeissnerPatrick OttmannJean de Birkenfeld-Gelnhausen
Politics & LawWriting & ArtsSportsFaithMilitaryScience & Medicine

Each dot is a person, stacked by the decade they were born.

Known for

What Bischwiller is known for

Leaders are the most numerous, 4 of them.

The usual town: the share across everyone listed in French towns. Tap a field to see its people.

Everyone

Everyone else born in Bischwiller

Another 12, the earliest born in 1760.

Augustin Dontenwill

Augustin Dontenwill

1857–1931

Canadian Catholic archbishop (1857–1931)

JG

Jean-Jacques Glassner

born 1944

French historian

Writing & ArtsWikipedia ↗
Next door

Famous people from the towns next door

Of the towns nearby, Haguenau lists the most people: 52.

Questions about famous people from Bischwiller

Who is the most famous person from Bischwiller?

Otto Meissner (German politician (1880-1953)) is the best known by our measure: 29 Wikipedia and sister-site articles in different languages. Next come Lucien Muller and Jean de Birkenfeld-Gelnhausen.

How many famous people were born in Bischwiller?

15 people born in Bischwiller have a French Wikipedia article that confirms the town as their birthplace (and an English one that agrees, when there is one). Wikidata places 23 people here; the rest aren’t listed because an article names somewhere else or no town, or a check couldn’t be completed.

What is Bischwiller known for?

Among its famous people, leaders: 4 of the 15. That is 27% of the town’s list, against 24% across French towns.

Who is the earliest-born famous person from Bischwiller?

Jean de Birkenfeld-Gelnhausen, born in 1638. The youngest on the list was born in 1959.

Who counts as from Bischwiller?

People whose Wikidata birthplace is Bischwiller itself, matched by its INSEE code (a commune merged into it counts when the dates allow), whose French Wikipedia article agrees, and their English article too when they have one. A hospital or neighbourhood recorded without its commune isn’t matched. People who only lived here, adult performers and people known mainly for crimes aren’t listed.

Why is someone missing?

Their Wikidata birthplace may be a hospital, a neighbourhood or a wider area, another commune, or missing, or their articles may not name a birthplace. We only list people the sources agree on; editing Wikidata or Wikipedia changes this page at the next refresh.

From Wikidata (CC0: birthplaces, descriptions, years, occupations, how many Wikipedia and sister-site articles cover each person) and French and English Wikipedia (each person’s articles confirm the birthplace; linked, not quoted). Birthplaces are matched to the commune by INSEE code and its history of mergers (INSEE COG 2026). Ranked by the number of articles. Fields are read from Wikidata’s description and occupations. “The usual town”: everyone listed across French towns. Portraits: each person’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the license below (our copy, resized).

Photo credits (11)

Contains public sector information under the Licence Ouverte / Open Licence 2.0 (Etalab): INSEE, DGFiP, the Interior Ministry’s statistics service (SSMSI), the Ministry of Education (DEPP), the Health Ministry’s statistics service (DREES) and the Housing Ministry (Carte des loyers). Commune boundaries: IGN Admin Express.