According to Abbreviation Pedia, Colmar is a beautiful town in northeastern France in the Alsace region not far from the German border. the city has always been in the area of contention between France and Germany. As a result, both German and French influences can be discovered in the city. However, the German influences dominate, this is mainly due to the many half-timbered houses that can be found in Colmar. Since the Second World War, the city has permanently belonged to France. There are many places of interest in the city. Whether it’s the beautiful colored houses in the city or a cozy flea market on a small square, you can find it all here. What is most striking when you walk through Colmar is the beautiful condition in which everything is located. This is not surprising when you realize that in recent decades a lot of hard work has been done to give the city back its old allure. A visit to Colmar is therefore more than worth it.
Top 10 things to do in Colmara
#1. Museum Underlinden
The Unterlinden museum is located in a former monastery in Colmar. With more than 200,000 visitors a year, the museum is one of the most visited museums in Alsace. The most important work of art in the museum is the Isenheimer Altarpiece by Matthias Grünewald. This polyptych was made in the first half of the sixteenth century. The museum also has an impressive collection of medieval and Renaissance works of art. The museum’s collection covers approximately the entire art period from the early Middle Ages. the collection has now grown to such an extent that the museum has slowly outgrown its premises. A major expansion should change this in the future.
#2. Mary with the rose hedge
The artwork Mary with the rose hedge can be found in the Dominican Church in Colmar. This painting has become such a landmark in the church that it has been decided to scrape the original function of the church. As a result, the former church has now been given a museum function. The church can be visited for a small fee. The painting Mary with the Rose Hedge is the only painting that can be attributed with certainty to the fifteenth-century artist Martin Schongauer. Some etchings of it can also be admired in the Underlinden museum. Schongauer’s style is inspired by that of the Flemish primitives.
#3. The half-timbered houses of Colmar
When you walk through Colmar, the first thing you notice is the incredible amount of richly colored half-timbered houses that can be found in the city. Most of these houses date from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. However, the oldest house in Colmar built in this style dates back to the fourteenth century. Most of the half-timbered houses in Colmar have been beautifully restored. When you walk through the historic center of Colmar you have the feeling that time has stood still here. The many old-fashioned signboards that hang on the facades reinforce this image even more.
#4. Maison Pfister
One of the most eye-catching houses in Colmar is not a half-timbered house but the Maison Pfister. This beautiful house was built in the early German Renaissance style. The house stands out because of the wooden bay window and the balustrade that have been installed on the outside of the house. The various panels are richly decorated with paintings of High Officials, Biblical figures and other mythological figures. During a walk through the historic center of Colmar, you will certainly stop to take a closer look at this beautiful house.
#5. Foire aux vins d’Alsace
The Foire aux vins d’Alsace wine festival has existed for more than two hundred and fifty years and is still one of the most popular celebrations in Colmar to this day. The festival is held every year in August. In addition to being a popular meeting place for winegrowers and merchants, it has grown into a popular music festival that attracts many tens of thousands of visitors every year. The festival is held on the outskirts of Colmar. At the festival you as a visitor have the opportunity to taste more than 1,500 different wines from the immediate region.
#6. Auguste Bartholdi
Auguste Bartholdi is probably the most famous artist born in Colmar. The name Bartholdi probably means nothing to you but his most famous work of art the Statue of Liberty is world famous. While the architect Eiffel was responsible for the construction, Bartholdi designed the outside of the statue. According to some sources, the face of the Statue of Liberty was inspired by that of his mother. In Colmar, in addition to a large replica of the Statue of Liberty, you can admire a few statues by this artist.
#7. Petite Venise
The Petite Venise district is probably the nicest and most beautiful district of Colmar. A fun way to see the neighborhood is with a flat-bottomed boat on the river Lauch. What immediately stands out in Petite Venise are the richly colored half-timbered houses. In the evenings, the neighborhood is beautifully lit, making the neighborhood seem even more colorful than it already is. In the district you will find many cozy cafes, restaurants and terraces on the waterfront.
#8. The Koïfhus
The Koïfhus was one of the most important buildings in the city in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. It was built at the intersection of Colmar’s most important streets in this period, the Grand’Rue and the Rue des Marchands. Today the building is mainly used for public activities and events. After it lost its original function as a customs office, the Koïf House has been used, among other things, as a theater for the Jewish boarding school and a Chamber of Commerce. At the end of the nineteenth century, the beautiful roof was placed on the building during a thorough renovation.
#9. Saint-Martin. Collegiate Church
The current church on the Place des Cathédral dates from the first half of the fourteenth century, but remains of an older church on this site have been found under the foundations. This first church was probably built here in the tenth century. When you look at the church from the outside, the first thing you notice is its richly decorated roof and lantern-shaped spire. After a great fire in the sixteenth century, Renaissance details were added to the church. The interior of the church was completely lost during the French Revolution. Only a few stained glass windows from the thirteenth century have survived. these windows depict Jesus without a beard, which is very special for scenes from this period.
#10. Musée animé du Jouet et des Petits Trains
Musée animé du Jouet et des Petits Trains or the toy and train museum of Colmar is the nicest museum in the region to visit with children. While the girls go to see Cinderella’s carriage and the many different Barbies, the boys can go and see the trains. The other way around is of course also possible. More than a kilometer of electoral track can be found in the museum. The many different trains run through a varied landscape. A special train in the museum is the Britannia Pacific 231. The oldest Barbie in the museum dates from 1959. Even older children can and should indulge themselves in the museum.
