Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Berkheim Hotel is a Renaissance building located at 38 rue du Général-de-Gaulle in Riquewihr (High Rhine). Built in the 1st quarter of the 16th century, it is distinguished by its hexagonal staircase turret dating from 1523, its sandstone windows and its garden-side forebody. The ensemble, entirely masonry, preserves original architectural elements such as monumental chimneys and a screw staircase.

Knight Oswald Kruss had this house erected in 1523 in a vast enclosure of which he owned. The residence passed in 1550 to the knight Hans Hamann Truchsess of Rheinfelden, then was acquired in 1628 by Duke Louis Frédéric de Württemberg-Montbéliard for 5600 florins. It was transformed into a residence for senior officials and then belonged to the Berckheim family until 1827, when the enclosure was divided.

Ranked a historic monument in 1930 for its facades and roofs, the hotel preserves traces of its successive transformations: suppression of the descent of stairs for an elevator, addition of panels and ceilings with caissons. The restoration work was interrupted by the death of the last owner. The original well, moved in 1908, bears witness to modern developments.

The architecture combines defensive elements (th century wall of enclosure) and residential elements ( vaulted cells, carved chimneys). The turret door, decorated with leafy figures, and the double punch frame illustrate the craftsmanship of the time. The site, partially open to the visit, reflects the evolution of an Alsatian seigneurial residence.

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