Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The house, located at the 6th Place du Docteur-Pierre-Walter in Bergheim (Haut-Rhin), is a civil building emblematic of the Alsatian Renaissance, built in the 3rd quarter of the 16th century. Its facades, inscribed in historical monuments since 1929, are distinguished by remarkable architectural elements: carved sled windows, lintels adorned with inverted shells (recurring pattern in the region at that time), and a crenelated gable. Inside, a partial torso column, integrated into a later partition, bears witness to the original layout where a large single room occupied the floor.

The precise dating of the house is confirmed by a console bearing the year 1566, observed in the courtyard (mentioned in the 1929 archives but not visible in 2001). This detail, coupled with the stylistic similarities with other houses in Bergheim and Hunawihr (like shell motifs), firmly anchors its construction in the regional artistic context of the mid-16th century. Subsequent modifications include the re-drilling of the entrance door and partial restorations of the vaults, without altering much of its original structure.

The building illustrates the masonry techniques of the time, with irregular angle chains and lateral foothills. Its posterior elevation, also crenelated, repeats the first-floor door openings, highlighting a desire for symmetry and ornamentation. Although the initial destination of the house (bourgeois dwelling? Its architecture reflects the high social status of its first inhabitants, typical of the prosperous Alsatian cities under the influence of the Germanic Renaissance.

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