under the invocation of the Virgin Mary and other one of Holy Sébastien. The town of Saint Marie-aux-Mines is mentioned for the first time in 1317. Eddie Slovik, the only U.S. soldier of World War II to be executed for desertion, suffered the fate by firing squad near the town on 31 January 1945. People Laure Diebold, (1915–1965), Compagnon de la Libération Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines Mineral Show The Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines Mineral Show, also known as Mineral & Gem in Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines, is an international fair on nature-related arts and mining products that takes place in this Alsatian village, whose economy was formerly focused on regional mining and mineral deposits. The Mineral Show dates back, like the Mineralientage (Munich, Germany), in the early 1960, when Francois Lehmann organized a small mineral exhibition. In a couple of years the fair becomes a tourist attraction in the area and actually many collectors from Italy, France and Germany are going there. The actual appearance of the Mineral Show started in 1966 when it consolidated the first weekend of July as a fair dates. In 1981 the team led by Michel Schwab gives a professional point of view to the fair. Since 1992, the fair takes place the last week of June. The fair hosts today more than 900 exhibitors from 60 countries. Over the course of a limited town area, filling the small Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines old town streets, are distributed hundreds of stands exhibiting their minerals, fossils, gems and elaborated stones. Some village buildings, like the Theatre or the School, among others, are also filled with exhibitors. During the four-day fair (the first two days are for professionals only) also carried out parallel events such as conferences, workshops and visits to mines from this valley, known as Val d'Argent (Silver Valley). Currently the site of the exhibition is divided into the Mineral & Fossile Zone and Gem Zone, with specialized dealers. However messy the layout of the streets brings a style in which you could find anywhere the specimen you were looking for. See also Communes of the Haut-Rhin department References External links OSJC: latest news and activities from organizations in Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines Official website of the Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines Mineral Show Val d'Argent Communes of Haut-Rhin Duchy of Lorraine