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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The High Gate of Ammerschwihr, known as Obertor, is a vestige of the medieval fortifications of the city, erected in the first half of the 14th century. This square-plan monument, reinforced by foothills and angle chains, presents a hybrid architecture: a stone base with a broken arch door on the outside side and a curved arch on the inside-mural side, while its upper part, dated 1406 by dendrochronology, is built in wood with archaic structure. Two sundials adorn its faces, and its roof, redone after World War II, crowns a tower of about 20 meters. The gate is part of a broader defensive ensemble, including towers such as the Bourgeois (XIVth century, reworked in the 16th century) or the Fripons (1608), as well as partially preserved walls.

The history of the High Gate is linked to the elevation of Ammerschwihr to the rank of city in 1367 by the great imperial baili, authorizing the construction of walls and ditches fed by the Wallbach. Four doors punctuated the enclosure: the High Gate (west), the Bass Gate (east), and two "blind" doors (north and south), walled. In the 16th century, the fortifications were modernized to adapt to artillery, with the addition of gunboats and the redesign of the Bourgeois tower (dated 1511 and 1535). The north and south doors, walled, were reopened in 1803, but the enclosure was partially dismantled in 1806, and the ditches closed in 1866-1867. The Porte Haute, classified as a historic monument in 1931, now houses a wine museum on the ground floor.

The tower of the Bourgeois, semicircular, illustrates the military adaptations of the 16th century with its cannons, its Renaissance doors and windows decorated with the weapons of the city and its lords, and a small corbellation in arms. The tower of the Fripons, circular and dated 1608, has arches and an exterior staircase, while its floors are vaulted in dome. These elements, combined with the High Gate, testify to the evolution of defensive techniques between the Middle Ages and the modern era. The site, owned by the commune, remains a symbol of the Alsatian heritage, mixing past military functions and contemporary uses (tasting cup, restaurant).

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