Kaysersberg, Alsace
The Route des Vins d’Alsace (Alsace “Wine Route”) is 170 km from Marlenheim to Thann. But for the wine walker, the prettiest villages are grouped around the town of Colmar. They are Bergheim, Ribeauville, Kaysersberg, Riquewihr, Turckhrim, Eguisheim.
Yesterday, I visited the spectacular Kaysersberg, which is German for Emperor’s Mountain. The town was first mentioned in 1227, when Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor purchased the castle and gave orders to refortify it. Kaysersberg lies about 12 kilometres northwest of Colmar, on the eastern slopes of the Vosges mountains, on the river Weiss.
In 1648, the city became a part of France, although most inhabitants continued to speak German. From 1871 to 1918 and (again from 1940 to 1944) Kaysersberg belonged to Germany. In 2017 Kaysersberg was voted the Village préféré des Français (Village favoured by the French).
Kaysersberg has many pretty old German-style buildings (see photo) like the Sainte-Croix church, the oldest parts of which date from the 13th century, and the renaissance style Hôtel de ville (town hall) from the 16th century.
The most dramatic building is the Château de Kaysersberg, a high fortress that dominates the town and serves as a reminder of both its strategic importance and its warlike past. The castle was built for Albin Woelflin, imperial bailiff for Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, around 1220.
The area around Kaysersberg is one of the finest wine-growing areas in Alsace. The first vines were brought here in the 16th century from Hungary, and wine production is still an important aspect of the town’s economy today. Although all the main Alsatian grape varieties are grown in Kaysersberg, wine produced from the pinot gris variety is reportedly a local specialty.
The vendanges (harvest) takes place in several stages. Last week, grape picking started for sparkling wine, Crémant d’Alsace, which can be rose or white. Next week grape picking will start for regular still wines. For vendange tardive wines (“late harvest”), grapes are picked much later.
The area around the Château de Kaysersberg is covered by vineyards. So I walked through the vineyards, and up the hill to the Chateau. The views of the vineyards and Kaysersberg are spectacular.
The other notable feature of Kaysersberg is that it was the birthplace of Albert Schweitzer, an Alsatian polymath. He was a theologian, organist, musicologist, writer, humanitarian, philosopher, and physician.
Schweitzer received the 1952 Nobel Peace Prize for his philosophy of “Reverence for Life”. His philosophy was expressed in many ways, but most famously in founding and sustaining the Hôpital Albert Schweitzer in Lambaréné, French Equatorial Africa (now Gabon). Thus, I visited the Centre Schweitzer, a very interesting museum about his work in Lambaréné, Gabon.
At the Schweitzer Centre, I met a French couple visiting from Strasbourg. The gentleman said that President Macron is very worried about possible social unrest at the 2024 Olympic Games to be held in France. So the government is sending troublesome people to second-tier cities like Strasbourg, with the result that the security situation is now deteriorating in Strasbourg.