Colorful Alsace

Alsace, in the northeast corner of France, is famous for its history that has one foot in the Germanic world and the other in the French world. 

One of our neighbors grew up in Alsace. He says that many people there speak French, German, and a distinctive Alsatian dialect. 

All that cultural stuff is well and good. It’s just simple that many of the historical villages of Alsace are delightfully colorful and picturesque.

Let’s go! Allons-y! Los geht’s! Hopla!

We visited the towns of Colmar, Riquewihr, and Ribeauvillé.

The village centers that we see today date from the late Middle Ages and early Renaissance. At that time, for example, Colmar was an Imperial Germanic city under the Holy Roman Emperor Fredrick II of Hohenstaufen (1194-1250). During the Renaissance, the city enjoyed a period of wealth as merchants, wine-growers and agriculture brought waves of prosperity. ※

But Germanic and Franco cultures and politics have long pushed and pulled here.

Historically, Alsace had been a region sandwiched between France and Germany, and an interesting, although maybe not a surprising fact is that both countries had claimed it over the years. Colmar was conquered by King Louis XIV (also known as the Sun King) in 1673. Later on, Colmar (as part of Alsace) was twice annexed by Germany — from 1871 to 1919 and again during World War II before it reverted to France. Voltaire lived in Colmar for a little over a year between 1753 and 1754 and described it as ‘half German and half french’. To this day, Colmar (and Alsace as a whole) are known as the place where German efficiency meets French finesse. (source)

Given the ruptures of the 20th century, we are fortunate to be able to experience these attractive towns. The two world wars brought horrible battles, bombings, and destruction to this region. Remarkably, although it was the last city in France to be liberated from the German occupation of World War II, Colmar suffered only minimal destruction and few shells actually fell on the city. Riquewihr too was largely spared, despite its proximity to the front and the complete destruction of several localities in the surrounding area. ※ ※

The first things you’ll notice in Colmar, Riquewihr, and Ribeauvillé, especially compared to most other French towns, are the half-timbered buildings. (We’ll see more when we get to Bavaria soon.)

The half-timbered style, also known as ‘Fachwerk’ in German and ‘colombage’ in French, dates back to the late medieval period, around the 12th century. This architectural style originated in northern Europe, with early examples found in Germany, France, and England. At the time, timber was an abundant and inexpensive building material, which contributed to the widespread adoption of half-timbered construction.

Half-timbered houses feature exposed wooden frames, creating grid-like patterns, filled with materials like brick, plaster, or wattle and daub. The wooden beams provided structural support, while the infill materials offered insulation and protection from the elements.

Over the centuries, these houses evolved to meet the changing needs and preferences of their inhabitants. While the basic structure remained consistent, variations in design, materials, and decorative elements emerged. For example, some half-timbered houses featured ornate carvings or inscriptions, reflecting the owner’s social status or profession. In other instances, they painted the wooden beams in vibrant colors or adorned them with decorative motifs to give the building’s exterior an artistic touch. (source)

The colors of all these buildings are simply pretty, but in medieval and renaissance times, the colors had precise meanings. Different trade groups “owned” specific colors: ※

• Blue for the woodworking trades (carpenters, joiners, etc.)
• Red for the iron-related trades (blacksmiths, iron workers, etc.)
• Yellow for the bread trades (bakers, pastry chefs, etc.)
• Green for the leather and fabric trades (tanners, saddlers, weavers, etc.)
• Beige for the stone trades (masons, stonemasons, roofers, plasterers, etc.)

You may recall that we learned about European storks who nest during the winter in Morocco. They fly to Spain and France and elsewhere in Europe for the summer. Because of climate change, some storks don’t bother to migrate anymore; some stay in Africa, and some stay in Europe. We spotted a couple stork nests in Alsace, although their residents had apparently departed for warmer Africa already.

In Alsace, storks embody dependability, fertility and devotion. This is because storks are monogamous. They will return to the same nest for their entire lives after each winter’s migration of up to 15,000 kilometres—sometimes as far away as South Africa! Chicks hatch in the north, and by fall are ready to head far south for the first time — without their parents! The parents leave later and miraculously find their chicks at the end of the migration. ※

Today there are over 600 stork couples in Alsace, at least 50 on the rooftops of Strasbourg alone.

All this fidelity leads to Alsatians’ stories and meaning, such as:

• If a stork should choose your house, local legend says it will bring luck to your family. 
• If a stork is flying above your house, then a baby is on the way. If a baby has been born, that means a stork has flown to the underground lake where the souls of the dead have been reincarnated as babies. The stork has fished out a newborn, wrapped it in a sheet, and carried it back to your house. 
• An Alsatian will tell you that a stork never nests on a house where there has been a divorce. ※

More photos just because.

We can’t get enough of these hanging signs:

One nickname for Colmar is Little Venice, thanks to its attractive canals.

We can’t but be amused by Colmar’s “Little Venice.” That’s because there’s also Annecy, which is the “Venice of the Alps.” Castres, not far from Carcassonne, is the “Little Venice of Languedoc” and even hosts a mini-Carnival each winter; it has only one canal. Bruges in Belgium is the “Venice of the North” because, of course, it has lots of canals. So, just add a canal or two to your town, and you can have a little Venice at home. Is Venice the Venice of Venice?

Restaurant Le Fer Rouge, Colmar

October 2024