Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Key figures
François Jacques Rothbletz - Sculptor
Author of a Christ at the Tomb
Léonard Willenecker - Penitent hermit (1688-1761)
Iron Sabots exhibited at the museum
Théophile Schuler - Artist
Has immortalized hermit Willenecker
Origin and history
The building located at 62-64 Rue du Général-de-Gaulle in Kaysersberg is a patriotic house representative of Alsatian urban civil architecture of the early 16th century. Built during the first quarter of this century, as evidenced by engraved inscriptions, it consists of three bodies of buildings. Since 1991, its facades, entrance passage, roofs and spiral staircase have been classified as historical monuments. Today, the building houses the historic museum of Kaysersberg on the first floor.
The museum presents mainly religious art collections dating from the 14th to the 18th centuries, including a rare "Opening Virgin", as well as objects related to popular arts and traditions. The exhibits include polychrome wooden statues (Christ of the Palms, Virgin with the Child, St Wolfgang), works by sculptor François Jacques Rothbletz, and local artisanal artifacts such as chests, chimney plates or a bell of 1521 called "storms".
A room is dedicated to Leonard Willenecker (1688-1761), a local penitent hermit who had lived in the Rehbach from 1719. Her iron hooves, weighing 10.7 kg and displayed in a window, symbolize her extreme devotion. The hermit, popularized by Théophile Schuler, also wore an iron cross as a sign of penance. The museum also maintains reproductions of seals illustrating the historical significance of Kaysersberg.
