Colmar – Colourful Hues on Artworks and Facades

Before we concluded the final leg of our journey along the Alsace Wine Route in Eguisheim, we drove from Riquewihr to nearby Colmar, which always seems to stand in Strasbourg’s shadow.

In the mornings, when the sunlight glides over the brightly painted facades and reflects in the glassy eyes of the shop windows, Colmar begins to glow. Not a hectic awakening, but a gentle opening of the senses – everything in this city is steeped in colour and history. Colmar’s old town is an architectural picture book, its pages told in half-timbering, sandstone, and cobblestones. Amidst canals, church spires, and winding alleys, a backdrop unfolds that appears both medievally rooted and picturesquely staged. Yet Colmar is no mere historical backdrop; history is the foundation of its present and future.

We began our city tour on Boulevard de St. Pierre, where, from the bridge over the river Lauch, we caught a glimpse of the old city wall and the historic half-timbered houses, gaining a first impression of the “Little Venice” district. A few streets further on, we stood on the Traenkbrücke bridge in the heart of the “La Petite Venise” quarter, named after the many canals of the Lauch that wind their way through the rows of houses here. Half-timbered houses reflected in the water, fishermen’s houses with low-pitched roofs and wooden galleries lined up alongside wine taverns and flower-filled balconies. One could hear the gentle, soothing lapping of the water, a babble of international languages and voices, and the cheerful clinking of glasses.

Our path then led us past the Schwendi Fountain to the Koïfhus, the former customs house from the 15th century. Here, the commercial arteries of Alsace once pulsed to the rhythm of the markets. The double-flight outdoor staircase, the steep roof with glazed tiles, and the intricately decorated window fronts recall a time when Colmar grew into an economic centre between the Vosges and the Rhine. Merchants from all over Europe once negotiated in its halls.

In the vibrant heart of Colmar rises the Collégiale Saint-Martin church, its tower and copper roof visible from afar – a silent landmark in the maze of old town alleys. Although it was never a bishop’s seat, it is often popularly referred to as the “Cathedral of Colmar” – and rightly so, as its majestic appearance shapes the cityscape like no other building. The church was built between the 13th and 14th centuries on the foundations of a Romanesque basilica. The current building is an impressive example of Gothic architecture in Alsace, constructed from warm, glowing Vosges sandstone. Its proportions appear balanced, almost restrained – yet the church possesses a quiet grandeur that fully unfolds upon entering.

Further along the Rue des Marchands, where magnificent bourgeois houses line up like precious pearls. The Maison Pfister, a masterpiece of the late Renaissance, draws every eye with its wood-carved oriel window, painted facades, and delicate gallery. Built in 1537, it remains to this day a symbol of the wealth and self-confidence of a city that embraced humanism early on.

Colmar’s colours greet you everywhere: rust red, lime green, honey yellow, light blue – on shutters, doors, and wooden beams. They give the city that fairytale charm so beloved by the artist Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, a native son and creator of the Statue of Liberty. His birthplace is just a few steps away – now a museum that illuminates not only his works but also his patriotic life’s work.

Anyone visiting Colmar must not miss the Unterlinden Museum, housed in a former Dominican convent. Behind its mighty walls, a treasure of sacred art is revealed: Matthias Grünewald’s Isenheim Altarpiece – expressive, dramatic, deeply spiritual – is one of the most moving works of the German Renaissance. It alone is worth a trip to Colmar. In addition, there are other medieval works, for example by Martin Schongauer, and exhibits ranging to modern, abstract, or expressionist art in the museum’s new wing, the “Ackerhof”.