Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The house at 14 Rue du Tribunal in Oberbronn (Bas-Rhin) is a remarkable example of Alsatian civil architecture from the 3rd quarter of the 16th century, dated precisely from 1568 by inscriptions on its dressing room and entrance door. This main house, with gable on street, is distinguished by its stone ground floor and wooden floor, partially replaced by masonry. The façade is decorated with a (orial) dressing room on the ground floor, supported by four ground consoles and decorated with vegetable bas-reliefs. At the rear, a screw staircase turret, carved in a torso column in its lower part, serves the floors. The square building, with its stone-cut corner chains, houses a cellar on the ground floor and two square floors, highlighted by sandstone crows decorated with raised animal heads.

The whole has undergone changes over the centuries, including the replacement of side panels with masonry, and a recent restoration. Despite the addition of a garage in the backyard that alters the original harmony, the house preserves exceptional architectural elements, such as its stoneware stoneware apparatus and sculptures. It has been protected under the title of historical monuments since 1932, with an inscription in full by order of 10 April 2012, including the stair turret, the back-angle building, and the courtyard. An extension of protection had already been granted by an order of 10 November 2011, before final confirmation on 30 December 2015.

The date of 1568, engraved on the lodge and the entrance door, attests to the initial construction of this bourgeois or artisanal house, typical of Alsace of the Renaissance. Its square plan and carved decorations reflect a certain economic ease, while the stone staircase turret, rare for the time, highlights its prestigious character. Local materials, such as sandstone and wood, illustrate the resources available in the region, then under Germanic and French influence. The house thus bears witness to cultural exchanges and constructive techniques in vogue in the Holy Roman Empire in the 16th century.

Ranked among the historical monuments of Lower Rhine, this house is a landmark of the Alsatian heritage, representative of the urban dwellings of the period. Its progressive inscription (1932, 2011, 2012, 2015) reveals an increasing heritage awareness, aimed at preserving both its architecture and its immediate environment. Today, although partially altered, it remains a tangible testimony to local history and to the evolution of lifestyles between the late Middle Ages and modern times.

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