Photography - Ivan Andrejić www.secretsedition.com
Text - Colmar Tourism Board
For Georges Duhamel (as he wrote in 1931), Colmar was the “most beautiful town in the world”. It has also often been said that it is the most Alsatian town in Alsace! Without going over the top with superlatives, Colmar undoubtedly remains an exceptional town due to the wealth and variety of its historical and architectural heritage.
The capital of central Alsace, situated near Germany and Switzerland between the Vosges and the Rhine, Strasbourg and Mulhouse, the town offers visitors an exciting glimpse of 1000 years of European history. Besides, with its 67,000 inhabitants, Colmar retains a ‘country town’ atmosphere which contributes so much to its charm. Wonderfully preserved from the ravages of time, its homogenous historical centre is classed as a ‘protected area’ and has benefited from careful restoration and ongoing improvements for more than 20 years.
Little Venice is the name given to the course of the
Lauch in Colmar. This name probably came from the original line of the houses on both sides of the river, which serves the southeast of the city. This district starts behind the Koïfhus, goes through the fishmonger’s district and to the bridges Turenne and Saint-Pierre. It is therefore at the beginning of the Krutenau, whose etymology refers to places of market gardening on the outskirts of the towns. Originally inhabited by a rural community of wine-producers, market gardeners and boatmen, the Krutenau stretches out around the Turenne Street that the marshal took in 1674 for his triumphant entry in the city. Boat rides are possible there.
The fishmonger’s district is the place where
most of the professional fishermen and boatmen of Colmar lived. They were in a powerful corporation. The caught fishes were stored in fish ponds or sold in the fishmonger’s district. In 1706 a huge fire destroyed more than forty houses in the district. From 1978 to 1981, important renovation works made it possible to restore many half-timbered houses in this district which is between the Tanneurs district and the picturesque little Venice.
The tanner’s district is constituted from high
wood framing houses and half timbered houses, mostly dating back to the 17th and 18th centuries. The houses were used by tanners who worked and lived there with their families. They were also used for drying out their skins on the upper floors, often with an openwork design. The tanner’s district was renovated between 1698 and 1974. The renovation gave back its beauty to this village in the heart of the city.
Former St John’s Commanderie - The St John’s Knights of
Jerusalem founded a first hospital in the late 12th century. Attacked by the local clergy who saw a form of competition, the St. John’s Knights asserted themselves only in 1227 thanks to the support of the Pope Grégory IX. The church was consecrated in 1268 by Albert le Grand, a Dominican theologian. The former commander of St. John, constantly on the decline from 1530, was sold in 1796. Bought in 1858 by the Sisters of the divine Providence of Ribeauvillé, it was converted into a school, still existing today. It took the name of “Institut Saint-Jean” in 1918. After several renovations in the 19th century, only few elements of the façade have been preserved from the original building.
A visit to the Unterlinden Museum covers nearly 7,000 years of history, from the prehistoric era to 20th century art. Whilst travelling in time, visitors can also discover the multiple facets of its architecture, which have been unified and enhanced by the architects Herzog & de Meuron. The Medieval cloister presents the art of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, with works by the likes of Martin Schongauer, Hans Holbein and Lucas Cranach, as well as the museum’s great masterpiece, the Isenheim Altarpiece (1512– 1516). The former baths building inaugurated in 1906 provides a perfect space for temporary events, whilst the works of major 20th century artists such as Monet, de StaÍl, Picasso and Dubuffet have a new showcase in the contemporary wing.
Schwendi Fountain is designed by Auguste
Bartholdi in 1898 is surmounted by a bronze statue of Lazare de Schwendi (1522-1583). Demolished in 1940, the fountain was rebuilt after the war with a smaller fountain basin, oriented differently. The statue is now back on the former customs place. Lazare de Schwendi was war chief between 1564 and 1568 under the emperor Maximilian II and fought against the Turks in Hungary, from where he would have brought the grape variety from Tokay. Auguste Bartholdi was inspired by this legend and decided to represent Lazare de Schwendi with a vine stock in the hand.
Saint Martin’s collegiate church is an important example of Goth-
ic architecture in Alsace. Because of a fire in the south tower in 1572 the framework and all the roofs were destroyed. The tower was replaced three years later by the original lantern bulb (a construction on the top of the dome which has the form of a lantern) which gives the Church its characteristic silhouette. The church has been restored several times. In 1982 during the most recent restoration, foundations of a church from the year 1000 and traces of extensions from the 11th and the 12th centuries were found. The inhabitants of Colmar consider for a long time the Saint Martin’s collegiate church as their cathedral (in German “Münster”). But in fact it was really a cathedral only about ten years, from Civil Constitution of the Clergy (1790) to the Concordat of 1801. The two constitutional bishops who followed one another were not able to assert themselves and to organize a diocese, because it was in the two thirds still devoted to Rome.
The Roesselmann statue - Auguste Bartholdi’s stat-
ue, sculpted in 1888, represents the public judge Jean Roesselmann. He passed away while defending Colmar and the municipal liberties against the troops and the covetousness of the Bishop of Strasbourg. He is also considered as the first hero of Colmar and has similarities with Hercule de Peyerimhoff, the mayor of the city from 1855 to 1877, who was relieved from his duties because he refused to submit to the German authorities. Taken away by the Germans in 1943, the bronze statue was restored and reinstalled in 1945 on a white stone monument decorated with four fishes.