the western wall, which was cleared when the war broke out: in the night from 3 to 4 September 1939, the population was evacuated to the Black Forest by special trains and was only allowed to return after German troops occupied France. Kehl then became a suburb of Strasbourg. This status was retained even after the war. Kehl was released in accordance with the Washington Agreement on the Clearance of the City of Kehl by France from April 8, 1949, in 42 partial releases from July 29, 1949, to April 8, 1953. At that time (1945 to 1953) Sundheim was an independent municipality, which was then reunited with the city of Kehl. The city and the entire district of Kehl then belonged to the administrative district of South Baden within Baden-Württemberg. Religion Until 1519, Kehl was part of the diocese of Strasbourg. Then, the village had to change religion at the order of the margraves and the first Lutheran minister took office. During the French occupation of the 1690s, Kehl became Roman Catholic again, only to revert to Lutheranism after being ceded back to the margrave of Baden. From the early 19th century up to 1914, Lutherans and Catholics shared one church building; then, as the first building on the Kommissionsinsel the Catholic Church of St. Johann Nepomuk was erected. Several free churches are situated in Kehl, including Mennonites and the New Apostolic Church. Gateway to Strasbourg The city of Strasbourg lies opposite Kehl over the river Rhine and the two share some municipal services. Kehl station is located near the Europabrücke (Europe Bridge), which can be crossed on foot to enter Strasbourg. Bus line 21 used to connect Kehl with the nearest tram stations in Strasbourg. A tram link to Strasbourg has since been completed, as part of the extension of Strasbourg tramway line D. It opened on April 28, 2017 to Kehl station, and was extended to Kehl town centre in November 2018. Twin towns – sister cities Kehl is twinned with: Montmorency, France Notable people Hermann Flick (1905–1944), footballer Georg Nückles (born 1948), athlete Jean-Jacques Favier (born 1949), astronaut Dieter Eckstein (born 1964), footballer Rainer Schütterle (born 1966), footballer Carsten Schradin (born 1972), scientist References External links Official website Towns in Baden-Württemberg France–Germany border crossings Ortenaukreis Populated places on the Rhine Baden Vauban fortifications