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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Hotel des Deux-Clefs, located at 3 rue du Conseil in Turckheim, is originally a municipal hostel built in the 15th century under the name Statthof zum Schwartzen Adler (Cabaret A l'Aigle Noir). In 1620 the town of Turckheim entrusted its renovation to the Lorraine carpenter Hans Uda, whose wife was executed for witchcraft in 1628. The building, marked by an oriel carved by female figures (including Saint Barbe) and leafy columns, served as a lodging for delegates of the Decapole and wine merchants.

In 1672, the city sold the inn for 1,000 guilders to Johan Fisher, due to debts and unprofitable rent (20 guilders/year). The building changed hands several times: the Fischer family, then Bresle in 1702, and Paul Kauch (butcher), who married Elisabeth Hurst in 1726. She became a widow and married Philippe Ignace Reinhart in 1742; their initials (PIR/EH/1717) are engraved on an inner column. The inn took its present name in the 19th century, after being renamed Aux Deux Clefs in reference to the bicephalous eagle of the Holy Empire.

In the 20th century, the hotel was enlarged by the Schubnel family, moving to about 40 rooms. During the Occupation (1941-1945), he temporarily regained his German name Alt Deutsche Weinstube, before returning to Hotel des Deux Clefs after the Liberation of Turckheim on 10 February 1945. Ranked a historic monument in 1930 for its facade and roof, it now embodies the architectural heritage and the turbulent history of Alsace.

The architecture of the Hotel des Deux-Clefs is distinguished by its opulent half-timbers, carved oriels, and its worked lintels, designed to accommodate an easy clientele. The well of the courtyard, dated 1632, and the wrought iron sign holder (representing barrels) recall its past as a wine inn. The original outbuildings, destroyed, were replaced by modern constructions, while the oriel bears the trace of the works of Hans Uda (dated engraved).

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