Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The house at 4 rue Salzmann, located in Ribeauvillé in the Haut-Rhin, is an emblematic building of Alsatian Renaissance civil architecture. Built in the 16th century, it is characterized by a semi-entered cellar, two square floors served by a screw staircase housed in a square turret, and sled windows with ground chambranles. The turret door, adorned with a segmental arch lintel carved from a male head of profile, as well as the helical silt of the staircase, bear witness to remarkable craftsmanship. The stairwell, covered with a cross-ribbed pink sandstone slab, houses a yellow sandstone gargoyle representing a stylized animal.

Yellow sandstone lion, the flagship of the facade, rests on a pillar carved with Renaissance motifs and is pierced with windows on three sides. Its allegories are decorated with circular medallions representing human profiles and rosettes, while inside, a fitted sandstone ceiling, equipped with cross veins and an unidentified armored shield, underscores the prestige of the home. Although Bernard Bernhard evokes a door dated 1530 and a possible attribution to the Berckheim family in the seventeenth century, these elements are no longer visible or confirmed today. The sculpted decoration of the gilding has similarities with that of the house at 21 Klobb Street (dated 1539), suggesting the intervention of the same artist.

Classified as a historic monument since 1932 for its facades, oriel, stair turret and roof, this house reflects the opulence of local noble families. The skylights, removed at the beginning of the 20th century, and the old fence wall on street, now disappeared, recall the transformations suffered by the building. The masonry and wood-pan outbuildings, as well as the wide roofing gap between the turret and the oriel, complement this remarkable architectural ensemble, a witness to Ribeauvillé's urban history.

The accuracy of its location is estimated as fair (level 5/10), and its official address in the Merimée base corresponds to 4 rue Salzmann. Although questions remain about its sponsor and the meaning of its coat of arms, the house remains a significant example of the Alsatian Renaissance heritage, combining residential functionality and refined carved decor.

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