Colmar: Gateway to the Alsatian Wine Route

We came to Colmar last year and used it as a base from where we travelled through some of the picturesque villages along the Alsatian wine route in north-eastern France.

First, though, a little about the journey to Colmar, a classic traveller’s tale if ever there was one. We arrived here late on a nightmarish Sunday when everything that could go wrong did. It started in Italy with our transfer from Volterra to Florence, where we were to begin our multi-train journey across Italy, Switzerland and into France.

^{Chaos in Florence.}

Finding the main access to Florence Santa Maria Novella Station was blocked for a major event, our driver dumped us at a tram stop – just like the one pictured below – four stops from the station. If I had been thinking more clearly I would have challenged him to find an alternative route to the station, but the scenario he outlined seemed simple enough: just jump on any of the trams that passed though frequently and we would be at the station within minutes, he said.

^{A Florence tram. Photo: Philippe Godart}

That would have been fine, except that every tram – we observed five before giving up – was packed to bursting point in every carriage and the chances of two people with two suitcases getting on were zero. This was not going to work. We looked for taxis; there were none not already taken.

After consulting a map and some fellow Australian travellers we decided the distance could be walked in about 35 minutes. We set off and by following the tram tracks we made it to the station breathless and perspiring, but still in time for our train to Milan. This journey was on time and without incident and we started to breathe easy.

We changed at Milan for a train to Basel, where we would change once more to a train for Colmar. This leg of the journey took about five hours and it too seemed to be going well until we approached Bern and were told the train would be terminating there, short of its final destination. Nobody gave us an official reason but it seemed to be related to the very long stop we had at the Italian/Swiss border.

Quite clearly, we were now going to miss our connection to Colmar, but we found another train going to Basel and decided to press on. Very helpful staff at Basel station confirmed that we had indeed missed our connection, but if we took a bus to Mulhouse in France we could pick up one of several trains to Colmar.

As we sat on the bus waiting to depart we felt pleased that we had made up some time and would now be in Colmar earlier than we had previously thought. However, ten minutes into the journey we sailed past an exit we obviously should have taken, and were treated to a curse and a Gallic shrug from the driver. We couldn’t believe this was happening. The next five minutes were spent attempting to turn the huge bus around on a very busy road.

We finally got to Mulhouse and were soon on a train to Colmar. At Colmar station there were no taxis and we knew there wouldn’t be as we had researched it. The Ibis Styles Hotel was only a 10-minute walk across a pleasant park and we found it easily.

Unbelievably there was a final problem with unavailability of the room-type we had booked, but I think I’ve done enough whingeing so will leave it at that. Our journey had begun at 9.00am and it was now 10.30pm. We were grateful for the bar, open 24/7!

The next day we were up early and out into Colmar, the third-largest commune in Alsace after Strasbourg and Mulhouse. The well-preserved old town is a feast for the eyes with a maze of streets displaying half-timbered houses, flower-laden windowsills and the streets criss-crossed with canals.

With its enchanting old town and romantic canals, Colmar exudes a timeless elegance that has captivated visitors for centuries. Highlights include the vibrant covered market, where vendors sell fresh produce and regional specialties, as well as the Unterlinden Museum, home to masterpieces such as Matthias Grünewald’s Isenheim Altarpiece.

Part of the historically important Rhine Valley and a cultural crossroads between France and Germany, Alsace became a part of the German Empire after France lost the Franco-Prussian war in 1871.

The change in Colmar’s fortunes prompted a 36-year-old French sculptor, Auguste Bartholdi, to visit the United States where he hoped to convince Americans to support his idea of a colossal statue gifted from France to the US, in honour of the centennial of American independence. This was of course the Statue of Liberty, which after years of fundraising was finally erected and dedicated in New York Harbor in 1886.

Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi was born in 1834 in Colmar, where you’ll find a remarkable quarter-scale replica of the Statue of Liberty. Bartholdi died in Paris in 1904, but Colmar remained proud of its famous native son, turning the sculptor’s family home into a museum dedicated to his work. The replica of his most famous work was erected in 2004, to commemorate the 100^th anniversary of his death. The replica stands 12 metres (39 feet) tall and is made of copper-green resin.

^{Photo: Pixabay}

Market Hall or Marché Couvert (above) was designed in 1865 and built of brick over a metal frame. It went on to have several functions but has now been restored to its original purpose as a market hall. About twenty merchants welcome you there and provide high-quality products including fruit and vegetables, meat, fish, cheese, dairy and bakery.

The fishmonger’s district (Quai de la Poissonnerie) is the place where most of the professional fishermen and boatmen of Colmar lived. They were in a powerful corporation and their catch was stored in fish ponds or sold in the fishmonger’s district.

In 1706 a huge fire destroyed more than forty houses in the district. From 1978 to 1981, important renovation works made it possible to restore many half-timbered houses in this district, which is between the Tanneurs district and the picturesque little Venice.

Little Venice (La Petite Venise) is a charming district, regardless of whether or not the allusion to the Italian city bothers you. The name most likely originated from the original alignment of houses on both sides of the Lauch River, which flows through the south-eastern part of the city. Little Venice starts behind the Koïfhus (an old customs house), extends through the fishmonger’s district, and reaches the Turenne and Saint-Pierre bridges.

Originally inhabited by wine producers, market gardeners and boatmen, this area was once a rural community. We took one of the boat rides offered along the Lauch River, which turned out to be a delightful way to explore the district.

Colmar and surrounds are the home of white storks much loved by local communities. In Alsace, storks are more than just birds, they’re symbols of fertility and good fortune. In the 1980s, white storks in Alsace faced a dire situation. Human development had reduced their population to fewer than ten mating pairs.

Thanks to heroic efforts by organisations like the Centre for the Reintroduction of Storks, these leggy birds have made a comeback. Now, approximately 600 mating pairs thrive in Alsace, 250 of them in Colmar.

White storks mate throughout Europe, migrate to Africa during winter, and return to the same nests – which are huge – year after year.

The next day we would set out to explore the Alsatian wine route, and that will be the subject of the next blog post.

Photos © Judy Barford except where otherwise credited