Half-timbered houses
The half-timbered house is one of the emblematic elements of Alsatian heritage. In France, it is a particularity compared to other regions, but it is just as common along the Rhine, in Central Europe, in the Netherlands or in Lorraine.
It is not surprising that the Alsatian house uses wood as a raw material: this element is found everywhere in the surrounding forests and allows to resist subsidence while insulating well. Traditionally, these houses are built by carpenters. Each element of the structure fits together in an "architectural balance". The solid wooden frame uses wooden dowels. Between the beams, the walls are made of mud and straw mortar called wickelbodde. This cob is applied with hoists and is then covered with white or very brightly colored lime. The roof is sloped at 60° so that the snow does not settle on it and the roof is made of beaver tail tiles: biberschwanz.
Each house expresses a symbolism according to the patterns of its wooden beams. The Mann, for example, is characteristic: two Ks opposite each other evoke the silhouette of a man and refer to virility or physical strength. In the Sélestat region, there are several Manns that evoke the rooster (a head with an eye) because this animal of the sun is said to ward off the evil spells of witches. Among the other symbolic motifs, the cross of Saint Andrew evokes fertility or marital union, the rhombus which refers to maternity, the curule seat which indicates the social importance of the owner, the tree of life (more present in the Sundgau) which makes it possible to differentiate between good and evil, the decorated corner posts..
Since the 1970s, most of the old Alsatian houses have been destroyed or left to decay. This motivated the creation of the association Maisons paysannes d'Alsace or the association pour la Sauvergarde de la Maison alsacienne which dismantle each piece of the skeleton of the houses destined to be destroyed to reassemble them on the site of the Ecomuseum of Ungersheim. More than seventy traditional buildings (houses, shops or workshops) are located in a 25-hectare area laid out in the traditional way (fields, streets...).
The oldest Alsatian house still in its original location is located in Rosheim. It was built in 1154 and is called "Maison Païenne". Other very old houses are worth visiting: the Katz house (1605) in Saverne, the "Cour des Chaines" (1592) in Mulhouse, the "Maison des Tanneurs", the "Maison Kammerzell" and the "Cour du Corbeau", all three in Strasbourg and dating from the beginning of the 16th century.
The Neustadt
After the defeat of 1870, Strasbourg had to rebuild itself after much damage. This is how the Neustadt (new city) was born, today classified as a Unesco World Heritage Site.
The reconstruction of the city itself took only 5 years, but its extension was one of the important points of the new German policy. The business community wanted efficient infrastructures (train station, port, traffic, etc.) while the political authorities wanted an exemplary, grandiose capital for the "Reichsland of Alsace-Lorraine", all to the glory of the Empire and Germanity. In 1880, a new city plan was decided upon, which provided for the addition of 386 hectares to the previous 230. J.-G. Conrath, who had been the city's architect since 1849, planned a prestigious area reserved for official buildings (imperial palace, ministries, seat of the regional assembly, library and university). By 1900, everything was completed and the residential areas were built until 1920. The Neustadt is the only example of this particular German architecture, as other similar districts in other cities were destroyed during the Second World War.
Visiting this post-Haussmann district, you will discover some architectural extravagances, mixing Italian neo-Renaissance, neo-Gothic and Art Nouveau. The Place de la République is built around a park. It is a remarkable monumental ensemble. It includes the Palais du Rhin, built as a residence for the emperor but later used as a military hospital and since 1920 as the residence of the Central Commission for the Navigation of the Rhine; the National and University Library; the National Theater of Strasbourg, former Landtag, palace of the Diet of Alsace-Lorraine. Don't miss the Avenue de la Liberté, between the Palais du Rhin and the University Palace in the Italian Renaissance style, designed as the Champs-Élysées of Strasbourg with its private mansions and the Hôtel des Postes in neo-Gothic style. Pass also in front of the Municipal Baths, registered as a historical monument and built between 1904 and 1911, in a neo-classical and neo-baroque style. Art Nouveau is not to be outdone in the Neustadt and the most striking example is undoubtedly the Egyptian House, a mixture of Art Nouveau and Orientalism.
Fortified castles
Alsace is the land of castles! There are more than 500 of them, of which more than 80 can be visited! Built on the foothills of the Vosges, they have been progressively abandoned and many of them are now only ruins. Thanks to the Alsatian castles path, you can discover many of them. The route passes by more than 80 castles, on a length of about 450 km, from Wissembourg to Thann, completed by the circuit of the 3 castles of the Alsatian Jura.
The most famous castles that can be visited (entrance fee and integrated museums) are: Haut-Koenigsbourg, Hohlandsbourg, Fleckenstein, Lichtenberg, the Castle of the Counts of Eguisheim, the Three Castles of Ribeauvillé or Haut-Eguisheim. In addition, many Alsatian villages have preserved their fortifications and give an interesting insight into regional life and architecture in the Middle Ages.
Religious architecture
The religious architectural heritage is varied in Alsace. The churches built in the 11th and 12th centuries present all the specificities of the Romanesque art: the Latin cross plan, the thick walls, the decoration reduced to the maximum... The church of Saints-Pierre-et-Paul in Rosheim, the church of Saint-Ulrich in Wissembourg, the abbey church of Marmoutier or the church of Saints-Pierre-et-Paul in Sigolsheim are among the most important buildings of this stylistic period.
In the 13th century, Gothic architecture gradually replaced the Romanesque. In 1230, the south cross of Strasbourg cathedral was built in this style. The light enters more, the decorations are more varied and colorful. The flame of the cathedral of Strasbourg, the collegiate church of Saint-Thiébaud in Thann, the basilica of Saint-Georges in Sélestat, the abbey church of Wissembourg, Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption in Rouffach or the collegiate church of Saint-Martin in Colmar are perfect examples.
Alsace also offers curiosities. The twisted bell tower of Niedermorschwihr is a striking example and is one of only a hundred such bell towers in Europe. But why is it twisted? Because the devil had wrapped his tail around it! The abbey church of Ebersmunster, near Sélestat, is also very particular because it is of baroque architecture of the 18th century, a very rare style in France.
Some of the religious buildings bear witness to the religious diversity in Alsace: one third of French Protestants are Alsatians or of Alsatian origin. Some churches, used successively or in the form of simultaneum by both religions, have been very marked by this.
The Jews of Alsace represented more than half of French Jewry in the 18th century, but they had to wait until 1791 to be allowed to return to the towns that had been forbidden to them. Today, cemeteries, ritual baths and synagogues can be seen in the countryside even though the majority of the 90 Alsatian synagogues have disappeared. Restored synagogues and museums form today an exciting and unique Jewish journey.
Military architecture
Military architecture in Alsace has left its mark for 2,000 years. The evolution of fortifications through the different eras has constantly shaped the landscape. Inscribed in history, these different works allow us to better understand the local urban landscape, the political role of certain sites such as the fort of Mutzig, the Maginot Line or Struthof, the evolution of defense techniques and materials (appearance of gunpowder, crisis of the torpedo shell...). On the first witnesses, the fortified castles, one often finds loopholes with niches, among the oldest known in France.
In 1893, the Germans built the battleship fort of Mutzig. This building was the first to have the characteristics of 20th century fortifications, a test in a way. It was one of the first to be essentially made of concrete and to use electricity, while being connected underground to other specialized works of the same type: it was the birth of the exploded fortification. The observation and artillery turrets were mostly seen to be protruding, but while the fort was at that time the most powerful fortification in Europe, no one had any idea of its underground importance.
After the First World War, the military architecture in Alsace was essentially based on the Maginot Line (André Maginot was Minister of War), the "Great Wall of France" as it was called. With all that Alsace had experienced, its purpose was to block the entire northern part of the territory, in anticipation of another possible war wave... Premonitory since it was used! Between 1930 and 1935, the Four à Chaux, the Schoenenbourg and the Hesch casemate among others were built. Today they can be visited with reconstructed interiors.
