Alsatian Trail Alsace - Route du Vin

Neuf-Brisach (pop. 2,200) was built for Louis XIV by the great military engineer Vauban in 1699-1703. It is a characteristic example of his work, octagonal in shape with four gates, one of which, the Belfort Gate houses a Vauban Museum. Some 17th C burghers' houses have survived. To the east of the town is the Colmar-Neuf-Brisach port on the Rhine.

The church of St-Pierre-et-St-Paul in Rosheim is one of the finest Romanesque churches in Alsace; the church is first mentioned in 1051, but the present building dates from 1150-1160. Particularly charming are the friezes round the exterior and the unusual animal and human figures in the pediments. The 12th C Heidehuss (Heathen House) is the only stone-built house of the Renaissance period in Alsace. The Town Hall and the fountain in the market square date from 1775.

The beautifully situated town of Andlau (pop. 1,878) has many half-timbered houses and an abbey founded for Benedictine nuns in 887 by Richardis, the discarded wife of Charles the Fat. The church, which dates from the 11th and 12th centuries, has fine reliefs on the facade and doorway and, in the choir, a 14th C reliquary of the foundress. Above the town (alt. 475m/1,560ft) are the ruins of a 13th C castle, the Spesbourg.

The little town of Barr (pop. 4,700), set amid at the foot of the Vosges, has a Renaissance Town Hall (1640), charming burghers' houses (14th-15th century), some in Gothic style, and the Musée de la Folie Marco (furniture), in an 18th century house. The tower of the Protestant church dates from the 12th century.

This day-long festival takes place on the third weekend in July. Artists display their wares and baked goods such as pies and tarts are sold.

Dambach-la-Ville is a little town of farmers (pop. 2,000) which has preserved parts of its walls, three 13th C gate towers and many half- timbered houses, particularly in the market square. The 11th century chapel of St-Sébastien, with a Romanesque tower, a Gothic choir and a beautifully carved and decorated Baroque altar of the late 17th C.

The ancient town of Eguisheim (pop. 1,500) has preserved its picturesque lanes and fountains and its attractive half-timbered buildings (16th- 17th C), including several tithe barns which belonged to monastic houses. In the center of the town is an octagonal stronghold, the enclosing walls of a small moated castle of the Hohenstaufen period, originally founded in the eighth century (rebuilt in 1903). Within the walls is a chapel built in 1889 in honor of Pope Leo IX, who was born here in 1002. Above the town rise the Trois Tours d'Eguisheim or Drei Exen, belonging to the ruined castle of Haut-Eguisheim.

The village of Hunawihr (pop. 600) has a picturesque Late Gothic fortified church (15th C) and a fortified churchyard. Until 1789 it was a fief of the ducal house of Woerttemberg.

The little village of Kintzheim (pop. 1,493), picturesquely situated at the foot of the Haut-Kônigsbourg, has preserved its medieval aspect, with a Gothic church (14th-15th century) and remains of its walls.

The village of Lautenbach, near Guebwiller, has a Romanesque church, with a fine pulpit, richly carved choir-stalls and beautiful windows (16th century). Adjoining the church is a 16th century cloister.

Les Trois-Epis, a place of pilgrimage since 1491, has a 17th C chapel (pilgrimages in May and August). It is now also a popular holiday place, commandingly situated high above the Rhine plain. In Niederhaslach is a church which was rebuilt in the 13th C by the son of the architect of Strasbourg Cathedral, Erwin of Steinbach.

The little town of Molsheim (pop. 9,497) has preserved remains of its medieval walls, old houses and fountains. In the market square are an old guild house, the Alte Metzig (16th century), and a fountain of the same period. The Alte Metzig houses a museum displaying material of the prehistoric and early historical periods and documents on the history of the town; a section is also devoted to the Bugatti car works, formerly in Molsheim. The Jesuit church (1617) is one of the finest examples of Jesuit architecture.

Near Molsheim is the ruined castle of Nideck.

Munster, the chief town in the Munster valley, grew up round a Benedictine abbey founded in the seventh century which was dissolved in 1790. It became an imperial free city in the 13th C, and in 1354 joined the league of 10 cities. The town of Munster is now well known for its textile industry and famed for its cheese and its tourte (a kind of meat vol-au-vent). The Town Hall dates from 1555, the Laub (market hall) from 1503. Munster is a good base for excursions into the Vosges, and the starting-point of the Route du Fromage (Cheese Trail).

The town of Rosheim (pop. 3,900) was a member of the Decapolis, the league of 10 free imperial cities in Alsace. Its medieval walls and towers and many half-timbered houses are well preserved.

The Route de la Carpe Frite (fried carp being a local specialty) is a good introduction to the beautiful scenery of the Sundgau.

Turckheim (pop. 3,594), at the entrance to the Munster valley, is an old imperial city, which became a member of the league of 10 Alsatian cities in 1354. Still partly surrounded by walls, Turckheim has preserved its old-world aspect, with Late Gothic stone and half-timbered houses (17th C). The Renaissance Town Hall dates from the early 17th C.