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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Hunawihr Council stove is an emblematic building of Alsatian Renaissance architecture, built in the 1st quarter of the 17th century (dated from 1610 by two inscriptions). Located at 5 Grand-Rue in Hunawihr (High-Rhin), it is distinguished by its gable-on-street façade, its Harped corner chains, and its two- or three-shaped ground windows, partially walled. The cellar, capped and supported by octagonal sandstone pillars, as well as the shields carved on the lintel of the door (notably those of the provost Mathias Braun and his assessors) testify to its communal importance.

Locally attributed to architect Heinrich Schickhardt (1558–35), known for his achievements in Riquewihr, this paternity remains unconfirmed by current research. The building would have housed a hostel (first Au Cerf, then Au Man Sauvage) and the council hall (Ratstube) until 1731, when it was sold to Jean-Jacques Greiner, the cooper responsible for the tithe. The Greiner family retained the property until 1865, before it passed to the Trimbach and Huck families. Unrefined externally, it preserves notable interior elements, such as a 19th century trompe-l'oeil ceiling imitating wood.

Ranked a historic monument in 1999 (façades, roof, frame, north-east room and vault), the Council stove illustrates the central role of communal buildings in 17th century Alsace, combining administrative, commercial (inn) and symbolic functions. The engraved coat of arms and initials (H.W., M.B., I.F., A.W.) evoke local notables, while the mention of 1610 on the basement door and the main entrance makes it a precise testimony of that time. Today, part of the building houses a restaurant in the basement.

The building also reflects the social transformations of Hunawihr, a wine and agricultural village in Upper Rhine. Its dual vocation (municipal council and inn) underlines the interdependence between local power and economic life, typical of the Alsatian villages under the influence of the Dukes of Württemberg-Montbéliard. Subsequent interior changes (the 19th century ceiling) show a continuous adaptation to private uses, without significantly altering its external appearance, preserved until today.

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