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Origin and history

The Stanislas Hospital in Wissembourg is a historic building located at 7 Stanislas Street in the Alsatian city of Wissembourg (Bas-Rhin). Originally, this building was a private house, known as "Weber House", loaned to the King of Poland in exile Stanislas Leszczynski and his family between 1719 and 1725. In 1725 they learned of the marriage of their daughter Mary to Louis XV, king of France. The palace was transformed into a hospital in the 20th century, a function which he retained until 1973, before housing a retirement home until the 2000s.

The main body of the building, from plan to U, probably dates from 1722, as evidenced by the vintage engraved on its monumental sandstone staircase. The east and west wings, added around 1738, complete the architectural ensemble, which combines baroque elements (frontons, balustrades) and older remains, as a late Gothic gate re-used. At the time of the Revolution, the building was acquired by the Herzog family, then transferred to the town of Wissembourg in 1869 to set up a college, then the civil hospital from 1875.

Ranked a historic monument since 1929 for its facades, roofs, staircases and courtyard of honour, the building preserves remarkable elements: period panelling, old fireplaces (including one with coat of arms similar to those of the nearby Teutonic Commandery), and a carved tromeau decorated with medallions. A chapel was built in the 19th century in the east wing, while a garden outbuilding houses re-used Renaissance elements such as a 1541 lintel. Sold to individuals in 2015, the Stanislas Palace is now a private residence.

The site once occupied the "Cistercian courtyard of Sturzelbronn", a medieval complex including a Saint-Maurice chapel, a hospice and agricultural buildings. The estate, exchanged in 1717 for a farmhouse, passed to the receiver of the Teutonic Order, Jaeger, who gave it to Stanislas Leszczynski in 1724. This historical stratigraphy, combining medieval traces, Baroque transformations and modern uses, illustrates the architectural and social evolution of Wissembourg over centuries.

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