Kientzheim travel guide

Visit Kientzheim (Grand-Est, France)

The village of Kientzheim is in the north of the Haut-Rhin department of Alsace (now part of the Grand-Est region), close to Kaysersberg and Riquewihr.

The village is on the wine route called the Route des Vins d'Alsace, which visits lots of very pretty villages, and is surrounded by vineyards - several very highly regarded wines are produced in and around Kientzheim

Explorer Kientzheim

France This Way review: because of the number of villages classified among the "most beautiful villages of France" that are very close to Kintzhem, the village gets less visitors than some of the other villages, but visitors will discover that Kientzheim is also pretty and has several sites of interest

One of the most remarkable characteristics of Kientzheim is that it is still surrounded by the original defensive fortifications. These were built over the period from the 14th to the 16th century and are well preserved.

As part of these defences, you can also see two towers (the Tour des Bourgeois, west of the centre behind the Chateau des Riechtenstin, and the Tour des Fripons, north-east of the centre) and the Porte Lalli, a gateway that still allows entry to the historic centre of Kintzheim - even if the carved mask on the tower does not provide a very friendly welcome!

The centre of the village is along Grand Rue and the surrounding streets. As well as a good number of the colourful houses in colombage that we expect of a village in Alsace, there are also several small castles that add to the charm - although they are not open to the public:

the most important castle in Kientzheim is the château de Schwendi, built in the 16th century next to the Porte Lalli,
the Château du Reichenstein is at 62 Grande Rue and
the Chateau des Ifs is on rue Philippe-Aimé-de-Golbéry.
the Chateau de la Confrerie Saint-Etienne

The principal church in the village is the Church of Notre-Dame, now painted an attractive ochre colour. the belltower remains from an earlier church, built in the 15th century, but the rest of the church was built in the early 18th century (which explains the neo-classical entrance to the church).

Inside the church you can see the life size carvings of two lords of Schwendi on their tombstones as well as various (more recent) paintings and statues, and the 19th century stalls in carved wood.

The Town Hall in Kientzheim is quite a small building in red stone with a baroque style surround to the first floor windows, and inside there is an imposing statue of one of the Lords of Schwendi.

In the Place Lt. Dutilh you can see a recent statue and fountain, that represents the importance of wine and vineyards to the village and towards the south of the centre there is a picturesque view along a canal.

There is a museum, the Musée du vignoble et des vins d'Alsace, in Kientzheim where you can learn more about the history of the wine industry and the machines and devices used in the production of wine.

Attractions in the vicinity of Kintzheim

There are several interesting attractions nearby that merit a visit, focussing on wildlife:

1) The ruins of the abandoned chateau de Kintzheim - it was destroyed in 1632 - are small but perfectly formed, and now also play host to an aviary and an extraordinary selection of birds of prey such as eagles, falcons and vultures. You can see displays at the castle featuring the birds and the castle itself is in a very picturesque setting of wooded hills above the village.

2) Another popular attraction close to Kintzheim is the 'Mountain of Monkeys' (Montagne des Singes) where more than 200 Barbary monkeys can be seen living in a natural woodland habitat.

3) There is also a third park called Cigoland and dedicated to storks, the bird that is the symbol of Alsace. As well as learning about storks your children will enjoy the theme park here.

One interesting site just outside the village is the tiny Chapel de l'Aigle a little way out of the town, in a pretty setting in the selestat forests. Several people claimed to have visions of the Virgin Mary at the chapel during the 19th century.

There are many other picturesque villages along the Alsace Wine Route not far from Kintzheim that you can visit during the same trip.

You can find more travel ideas in the Bas-Rhin guide and the Alsace guide.

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Map of Kientzheim and places nearby

Visit near Kientzheim with France This Way reviews

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