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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

Jacob Farm is a former Alsatian farm located in Buswiller, Bouxwiller Township. Built mainly in the 4th quarter of the 16th century (logis dated 1599) and rebuilt in the 2nd quarter of the 18th century, it illustrates the traditional rural architecture of Lower Alsace. Its facades and roofs, typical of the wood-paned style with corbels and carved loggia, were protected by an inscription to the Historical Monuments in 1981. The site, still private and closed to the public, retains remarkable elements such as a 1595 grape press and 19th century painted motifs in the stables.

The house, perpendicular to the street, is a rare testimony of Alsatian habitat that survived the Thirty Years' War (1618–48). Its half-timbered structure, with masonry base and first floor in a three-sided corbellation, features carved details such as adorned chambranles and an 18th century balustrade. The gable on the street, equipped with a loggia with guardrails in diamond and curule chairs, was once surmounted by sheet metal fanions dated 1607 or 1609. A major renovation between 2012 and 2013 restored the back façade in the 16th century style, replacing degraded elements such as roof or beams.

Dependencies are organised around a closed courtyard, reflecting a complete farm. The stables, rebuilt in 1731, once housed horses, cows, pigs and valves, with a floor reserved for servants and attices. The barn, built in 1836 by Johannes Jacob and Anna Rueff, has Kratzputz motifs (drawings scratched in the crepi) symbolizing fertility, like tulips. A body of passage (1804) closed the courtyard, combining open half-timbered spaces and masonry areas housing a distillery and laundry. The housing hangar maintains a 1595 grape press and an apple press, highlighting on-site polyculture.

The history of the farm is marked by successive transformations, such as the partial reconstruction of the stables in 1923 (brick ground floor) or the gradual disappearance of 19th century painted decorations. Although partially abandoned today, the property remains an emblematic example of Alsatian rural architecture, combining agricultural, habitative and artisanal functions (distillery). Its name, Jacob, comes from the Alsatian Hofname, Jacobs, designating both the farm and its occupants in the 19th century.

The Jacob Farm also embodies the challenges of heritage preservation. Ranked for its exterior elements (facades and roofs), it has benefited from recent restorations, such as that of the gable by volunteers, but its current condition remains precarious. The sources mention a well covered in front of the house and an alcove in the large hall, details revealing the daily lives of the inhabitants. Despite its inaccessibility to the public, it is an important milestone to understand the evolution of closed-yard farms in Alsace, between Renaissance and modern times.

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