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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The house at 4 rue Salzmann in Ribeauvillé, Haut-Rhin, is an emblematic building of 16th century Alsatian civil architecture. It has been a historical monument since 1932 and is distinguished by its facade decorated with an oriel in yellow sandstone, richly carved with human-profile medallions and Renaissance motifs. This oriel, supported by an open pillar, extends over two levels and houses a cross-ribbed sandstone ceiling, underlined by an unidentified shield. The square staircase turret, with a pink sandstone slab, features a carved lintel door with a male head in profile, while an animal-shaped gargoyle adorns its top.

The structure combines defensive and aesthetic elements, as suggested by the wide roof overflow between the roof and the turret, or the ground sill windows and chambranles. Although the exact date of construction is no longer visible (an inscription of 1530, mentioned by historian Bernard Bernhard, has disappeared), stylistic similarities with the house of 21 Klobb Street, dated 1539, suggest a realization in the first third of the 16th century. Berckheim's family was attested to as owner in the 17th century, but the shield of the oriel, different from their weapons, suggested an earlier noble origin not elucidated. The skylights, removed at the beginning of the 20th century, and the disappearance of the original fence wall testify to later alterations.

The interior reveals a semi-entered cellar accessible by a door in the middle of the hanger, while the staircase in screws, with the molded helical silt, serves two square floors. The stairwell, covered with a ribbed slab, leads to a top accessible by a sandstone door. The outbuildings, in masonry and crepe wood, complete this set that combines domestic functionality and architectural prestige. The precision of the sculptures (profile heads, roses, floral motifs) and the quality of the materials (yellow and pink sandstone) underline the high social status of the sponsors, probably a local noble family, although their identity remains uncertain.

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