Monuments to visit Lorraine

The Koifhus is the oldest building in Colmar (1480). Originally surrounded by a salt store and a large butcher shop, it was part of the economic life of Colmar. On the first floor, it housed the city's administrative services and the court, while the first floor housed warehouses and customs services. On the second floor, admire the magnificent stained glass windows decorated with the arms of the cities of the Decapolis: this powerful league united, from 1354 to 1679, ten free Alsatian cities within the Holy Roman Empire.

Inaugurated in 1865, this hall made of brick, iron and cast iron is the work of the architect Louis-Michel Boltz. A market was held there, hence its position on the banks of the Lauch River, making it easier for market gardeners to unload their produce from their boats. In the south-western corner of the building, a fountain sculpted by Auguste Bartholdi in 1869 depicts a young winegrower drinking from a barrel. Since 2010, the Covered Market has been home to around twenty traders: butcher, baker, cheese maker, fishmonger, greengrocers, pastry chef, caterers, florist...

Behind the high wrought iron gates that line this remarkable site, you can admire the late 19th century mansions of the houses of Auban-Moët, Chandon, Maigret, Gallice, de Billy or Mercier. Today, the greatest champagne houses in the world, which make the reputation of the city, have their headquarters here and offer tours of the cellars with tasting at the end. A few meters underground, a labyrinthine network of nearly 110 km of cellars contains a real treasure: over 200 million bottles.

"Of all the diamonds in the French crown, the most beautiful is the fortress of the Rhine". Thus spoke Louis XIV of the Place Forte de Neuf-Brisach, a masterpiece of military architecture that has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2008. In the 18th century, Vauban set out to protect the Rhine crossing by creating a perfect octagon with eight bastions, within which the streets intersect at right angles and are organised in a checkerboard pattern. It is a unique site!

In the middle of the reach, there is the presence of the remnants of a former mill. This wharf is named after the wood chips used in the mill's sails for the work of the skins used in les. The Poncelot, a small stone bridge of the 1641 th century, was réédifié in during the Ursulines installation. An ideal place to walk in peace and quiet.