Our today’s topic is Kaysersberg, an adorable village in Northeastern France, on the Alsace Wine Route.
With a population of less than 3,000 people, this charming little place can easily be seen in an hour, but it so full of amazing little houses, beautifully looked after, whose details will keep your interest for quite a while and occupy a lot of memory on your cameras.
With its 400 years long history of wine growing, (the first sorts came from Hungary) and its specially known pinot gris variety, Kaysersberg is a must both for photography and wine lovers.
It was founded in 1227, when Emperor Frederick II Barbarossa bought a small castle that gave the village its name (Emperor’s Mountain in German), and it was quickly expanded into one of the largest fortresses in the region.
- The Église de l’Invention-de-la-Sainte-Croix
- The Fountain of Emperor Constantine
- Verrerie d’Art
- The Loewert House
- The Musée Historique de Kaysersberg
- La Maison Faller-Brief
- The Hertzer House
- Pont Fortifie
- The Musée Albert Schweitzer
- The Castle of Kaysersberg
We will start this tour in front of the Église de l’Invention-de-la-Sainte-Croix, a beautiful, Romanesque style church from the 13th century, located in the center of the town. There is a beautiful fountain representing Emperor Constantine, next to it, and opposite, a charming shop and studio Verrerie d’Art, where you can see artisans blowing glass and making various objects d’art from it.
Right next to them, we will see The Loewert House, also known as the house of the Virgin, which is one of the most characteristic residences of the town, built in the 18th century, half-timbered, with a beautiful oriel and a mural of Madonna with her Child.
There is the Musée historique de Kaysersberg, a few meters further, a small museum, but quite interesting with a wide variety of exhibited items including furniture, paintings, stonework, etc.
Walking further, we will encounter many other amazing houses:
La maison Faller-Brief (from 1594), with its remarkable facade with carved wood panels and painted corner windows, located in a magnificent square with the old bathhouse (Badhüs, from 1600), the Hertzer House (from 1592), and the old butchery, all united by the fortified bridge (Pont Fortifie, 1514), under which flows the Weiss.
Coming to another museum, the Musée Albert Schweitzer, the 1952 Nobel Peace Prize winner, we will finish our tour.
Kaysersberg was the birthplace of this great doctor, philosopher, theologian, writer, and musician. The museum shows facts about his work in Gabon, a lot of pictures of the village hospital, the Peace Noble Prize, and some personal, and items brought from Africa.
For those ones who are not afraid of small climb, I also recommend visiting the Castle Of Kaysersberg that will offer lovely views to the village and surrounding countryside.
