Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The house at 4 Kilian Street, located in Riquewihr (High Rhine), is a remarkable example of Alsatian civil architecture from the early seventeenth century. Built in sandstone with angle chains, it features a rectangular plan with a forebody and a circular staircase turret dated 1616. The monumental entrance door, adorned with an entrapment and a bay in the middle of the hanger, bears the date of 1618, while some original windows, with sills and mouldings, remain despite subsequent changes.

The building belonged to several influential owners, including Andreas Staedelin, who had the house rebuilt in 1618 and added the stair turret two years earlier. In 1645, the property passed to the stettmeistre (mayor) of Colmar, Jean Henri Moog, then to the mayor Kaercher until 1830. Elements such as the vestibule with carved wooden doors, the ceiling painted with floral rinceaux, and a vintage door dated 1618 testify to its rich past. A cartway door of 1540, surmounted by a wooded shield, suggests an older origin, perhaps linked to Conrad de Kaysersberg or Count Louis de Württemberg, owner in 1444.

The ensemble, formerly known as Schoppenhof and then Kegelannhof (originally the current name of Kilian Street), included several buildings forming a single property until the 19th century. The Napoleonic cadastral plan of 1833 confirms this unit, before a division around 1870, marked by engraved initials (DH CB) on a door. The outbuildings, such as the south passage body with its wooden floor and coffer, or the built-in well, illustrate the evolution of the site, between residential functions, wine-growing (selling) and agricultural (stable).

Ranked a historic monument in 1930 for its facades, stair turret and vestibule, this house embodies the social and architectural history of Riquewihr, an Alsatian wine town. The modifications of the 19th and 20th centuries (windows, walls, elevations) coexist with medieval traces, such as the 1540 gate, reflecting almost six centuries of adaptations. The engraved vintages (1616, 1618, 1664, 1870) and the erased weapons recall the transformations linked to its successive owners, from nobles to local bourgeois.

External links