Travel Guide Ensisheim

A town with a rich past, Ensisheim is a sobering place to discover unusual treasures on a historical and entertaining stroll. The Musée de la Régence, which hosts numerous events throughout the year, evokes the presence of the Habsburgs and the town's proud heritage. Excavations of tumuli in the 19th century revealed a Celtic treasure trove, now preserved at the Musée Unterlinden in Colmar: torque and bracelets, gold earrings... Excavations of the Neolithic necropolis, one of the largest in France, have shed light on the burial rites of this civilization. However, it is the late Middle Ages and the Rhenish Renaissance that are best represented by witnesses to the past: a 127 kg meteorite that fell in a wheat field in 1492, a piece of which is on display in the Musée de la Régence, the majestic Palais de la Régence, the former Town Hall, the writings of Jacob Baldé and the various architectural elements that dot the city here and there, reminding us of its place as the capital of the former Austrian Habsburg Empire. Modern times are also represented by surprising buildings such as the Hôtel de la Couronne, the former Jesuit college church, the stained-glass windows of the Saint-Martin church... The Musée de la Régence, with its entirely redesigned scenography, reveals the town's rich, centuries-old history through collections that reflect the different faces of Ensisheim, including the mining past that marked the 20th century with the difficult exploitation of potash.