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Visit Eguisheim

Eguisheim ('most beautiful villages of France') is found near Colmar in Alsace, in the Haut-Rhin department of France.

Eguisheim is almost an offshoot of Colmar, but has its history as a separate, important, town.

The winding, cobbled streets of Eguisheim are lined with traditional medieval half-timbered buildings, brightly painted as are many of the buildings in Alsace. There are also fountains, flowers and ...storks.

Wander along the Rue du Rempart Sud which follows the line of the former moat. Its narrow street is lined with brightly coloured, higgledy piggledy houses. At the entrance to the street is the charming dovecote giving this a picture postcard beauty.

Walk up the Grand Rue of Eguisheim and see a selection of manor houses, inns and other houses all painted the blues, yellows, pinks and greens beloved of the Alsace region.

A little further up is the place du chateau with its chateau, church, colourful houses, fountain and ... storks! (I had been in Alsace 4 days when I got to Eguisheim and these are the first storks I had seen - though continuing south through Haut Rhin I did see more.) There are two nests in Eguisheim and a Stork sanctuary on the edge of the village where they are hoping to breed and re-introduce storks to the region.

There are plenty of bars, restaurants and accommodation in Eguisheim making this a good base for exploring the region. (I stayed at the Pierre and Vacances apartments on the edge of town. These were nice, well-equipped apartments in bright, Alsace-style buildings which were easy walking distance of Eguisheim centre. The PandV apartments have secure parking and a heated indoor pool.)

Places to visit in Eguisheim

- Rue du Remparts- a charming narrow street with lovely, coloured half-timber houses. It is possible to circle the whole medieval centre walking around this street.

- 8th century Eguisheim castle. This was the birthplace of Pope St Leo IX (1002 - 1054). The outer wall dates back to 720 AD and is a classified historical monument.

- Storks - see the storks and their nests on top of the chateau and on top of the St Peter and St Paul church.

- The little church next to the chateau has a very colourful interior. Originally many churches were brightly painted like this but with time the paint has worn off and been cleaned back to stone.

- Lots of colourful manor houses. The Unterlindenhof dates back t 1051 and others to between 1200 and 1600.

- Former 16th century leper house.

- two Renaissance fountains

- Church of St Peter and St Paul with Romanesque and Gothic parts.

Eguisheim is a holder of the 4 fleuri award (the highest) for its town planting and is indeed full of flowers in the summer.

Don't forget to try the local wine during your visit - the wines of Alsace are very highly regarded, and Eguisheim is perhaps the 'epicentre' of this important local activity.

Above Eguisheim can be seen the vestiges of three castles, dating from the 10th-12th centuries: Le Wahlenbourg, Le Dagsbourg, and Le Weckmund. In addition to these, the 'Route des 5 Chateaux' also visits Le Hohlandsbourg (newly restored) and the donjon at Pflixbourg (reputedly haunted, so beware!).

Eguisheim is on the Alsace Wine Route

Eguisheim photos (click on photo to expand)