Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The house at 1 Klingeltor Street in Westhoffen (Bas-Rhin, Grand Est) is a 4th quarter of the 16th century civil building, partially preserved with elements dated 1584 and 1635. This house is distinguished by its structure on two levels masonry and a wooden panel floor, decorated with relief motifs (curve crosses) and a twisted cornet post. The carreter door in full hanger, decorated with roses, lions and gargoyles, as well as niches with shells, testify to a neat craft. An inscription of 1624 on an annex building, associated with the emblems of tin potter (cut, pitcher), evokes a rare local craft activity.

Originally integrated into a farm on the 1832 cadastre, the property lost most of its dependencies as the changes took place. The openings of the floors, modified in the eighteenth or nineteenth centuries, contrast with the ancient parts. The building has been listed as a historical monument since 29 April 1931, protecting its built-in inscription on the façade. This heritage illustrates Alsatian rural architecture, combining agricultural, craft and residential functions, in a context where half-timbered houses often reflected the prosperity of local trades.

The sculpted decoration, including the tin potter emblems (initial HM and date 1624), suggests a link with a corporation or an easy owner. These elements, combined with the rarity of the motifs, underline the historic importance of the site. The location in Westhoffen, a village in the Lower Rhine with a tradition of craftsmanship, reinforces its heritage interest. Today, the building, although partially altered, remains a tangible testimony of the Alsatian Renaissance habitat, between functionality and symbolic ornaments.

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