Colmar - Tried and True

Tuesday, we visited Colmar and, once again, it proved to be the tried and true experience it always has been for me, notwithstanding the traffic driving into the town was horrendous.  Colmar is located about 72 km south of Strasbourg and is the third largest commune in Alsace after Strasbourg and Mulhouse (to the south).  The city is renowned for its well-preserved old town, its numerous architectural landmarks, and its museums, among which is the Unterlinden Museum which houses the Isenheim Altarpiece.  Colmar is on the Alsace Wine Route and is considered to be the "capital of Alsatian wine".

We started our visit, after parking in the Scheurer Kestner lot.  This used to be free but now there is a charge - we paid €5 to park for 6 hours.  This parking lot provides easy access to the centre of the old town as you just cross a street, walk through a passage and then you are in a square where the Unterlinden Museum is as well as the Tourist Info Office.  We spent the day wandering around and having lunch.  

First up was the building called Maison des Tetes (House of Heads).  This Rhine Renaissance-style bourgeois residence was built in 1609. It owes its name to its unusual facade of 105 grotesque masks.  This building was one used to trade wine.

It would be appropriate to add a note here about Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi who was born in Colmar in 1834.  He was a renowned French sculptor and his most famous work is the Statue of Liberty which was inaugurated in 1886.  On one of the roads leading into Colmar, there is a replica of the statue in the centre of a roundabout.  There is a museum in the town dedicated to his works and it is located in his childhood home.  His name appears on other buildings as well even the Credit Mutuel Bertholdi.

We headed to the area where the Quai de la Poissonnerie, the covered market and La Petite Venise are located.  It is here that you get the iconic photos that Colmar is famous for.  The "river" that runs through here is the Lauch.  The half-timbered houses along it were mostly home to boatmen and fishermen.  On the way there, we saw a stork (the official bird of Alsace) by the side of the bank.

Near these buildings is the covered market.  It was established in 1865 and has had many functions before returning to its original market hall roots in 2010.  Around 20 traders sell fresh, quality produce all year.

Continuing along the quay, you come to La Petite Venise (Little Venice), the most "romantic" part of Krutenau, the former market garden neighbourhood.  The market gardeners would sail along the Lauch to transport their goods to town on flat-bottomed boasts reminiscent of Venetian gondolas.  These days, the "barques" take tourists along the waterways instead.  This is where we decided to have our lunch.  At Le Comptoir de George, we sat beside the Lauch and watched the barques going by enjoying our lunch.

After that, we made our way back along the very pretty cobblestoned streets to the square where we'd started.  By then, we were tired and it was time to start the one hour drive back to Rhinau.