Obernai Attractions

Obernai (pop. 12,500), at the foot of Mont Ste-Odile, is an old imperial city which has preserved its picturesque aspect, with part of its town walls, narrow lanes, old burghers' houses and a handsome Town Hall. The market square, with the 15th C Cornmarket, the Renaissance fountain of St Odile, the Town Hall (15th-16th C) and old Gothic and Renaissance houses, has a particularly attractive old-world air. The Town Hall, with its decorated balcony and council chamber of 1608, was restored in the 19th C. Another prominent landmark in Obernai is the Tour de la Chapelle (13th and 16th C). In front of the Hôtel de la Cloche is the Puits des Six Seaux (Six-Bucket Well) of 1579, and to the north of the large neo-Gothic church (1873) is another picturesque spot, the Place de l'Etoile with its angular half-timbered houses and storks' nests on the roofs, set against a background of vine-covered hills.