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Origin and history

The house zum Oesterreich is a building located at 23-25 rue des Marchands in Colmar, Haut-Rhin department. Its origin dates back to an earlier construction, demolished in 1358 by order of Duke Rodolphe of Austria, after a revolt by the Colmarians against the local authorities. A stone plaque, still visible above the entrance arcade, recounts this event by stating that the house should never be rebuilt, in perpetual memory of the condemnation.

The current building dates back to 1532 and is the result of the 18th century meeting of several separate buildings under a single roof with broken roofs. Its facade features wooden panels corbelled floors, highlighted by ground bands, as well as a polygonal turret-shaped oriel. The latter, supported by stone consoles, is crowned by a balcony and is one of the most prominent architectural elements of the monument.

The ground floor opens with large arcades, originally designed to illuminate and give access to shops. The building, the elevation and the roof were listed as historical monuments on 18 June 1929. The facade also preserves a built-in medieval inscription, recalling the turbulent history of the site and its link to the political tensions of Alsace in the 14th century.

Architecturally, the house zum Oesterreich illustrates the transition between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, with traditional constructive techniques (woodpans) and more elaborate decorative elements. Its history also reflects the urban dynamics of Colmar, marked by successive revolts and reconstructions, in a context where the city played a major commercial and political role in Alsace.

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