Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The building in Kaysersberg Vineyard, built in the 1st quarter of the 16th century, illustrates the Alsatian urban civil architecture of that time. This three-body patrician house, classified as Historic Monument since 1991, is distinguished by its facades, its entrance passage, its roofs and its spiral staircase. Today it houses the historic museum of Kaysersberg, installed on the first floor, accessible by this emblematic staircase.

The museum presents collections dedicated to religious art (14th-15th centuries), including a rare opening Virgin, as well as popular arts and traditions. Notable pieces include polychrome wooden statues (Christ of the Palms, St Wolfgang), works by sculptor François Jacques Rothbletz, and local artisanal objects such as a 1521 bell or 18th-century penitent hoofs.

The building bears engraved inscriptions attesting to its construction in the early 16th century. Its classification in 1991 specifically concerns the facades, the entrance passage, the roofs and the staircase screws, highlighting its heritage importance. The museum also showcases local history through reproductions of seals and elements linked to popular figures, such as the hermit Leonard Willenecker (1688–1661).

The collections reflect the religious and artisanal life of Kaysersberg, from the Middle Ages to the modern era. The building, owned by the municipality, thus embodies both an architectural testimony and a place of conservation of the physical and intangible heritage of the region.

A room is entirely dedicated to local handicrafts, exhibiting chests, fireplace plates, or cooperage tools. These objects, combined with works of sacred art, offer a complete panorama of daily and spiritual life in Alsace between the 14th and 18th centuries.

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