Dated stoneware door 1572 (≈ 1572)
Access to a vaulted cellar.
1592
Partial acquisition
Partial acquisition 1592 (≈ 1592)
By Jérémias Liechtenauer.
1600
Marriage Liechtenauer-Schmidt
Marriage Liechtenauer-Schmidt 1600 (≈ 1600)
Union of Owners.
1607
Total acquisition and door dated
Total acquisition and door dated 1607 (≈ 1607)
Weapons of the Liechtenauer visible.
1613
Construction of turret
Construction of turret 1613 (≈ 1613)
Date on door.
1er quart XVIIe siècle
Construction of house
Construction of house 1er quart XVIIe siècle (≈ 1725)
Period of main construction.
XIXe siècle (milieu)
End of weaving workshops
End of weaving workshops XIXe siècle (milieu) (≈ 1865)
Kiener family leaves.
1985
Discovery of the painted ceiling
Discovery of the painted ceiling 1985 (≈ 1985)
Under a false ceiling.
26 janvier 1989
Classification and registration
Classification and registration 26 janvier 1989 (≈ 1989)
Protection for monuments.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Key figures
Jérémias Liechtenauer - Owner and Owner
Purchased the house in 1592 and 1607.
Margaretha Schmidt - Owner and wife
One of Riquewihr's fortunes.
Famille Kiener - Craft weavers
The workshops were held until the 19th.
Origin and history
The house at 44 rue du Général-de-Gaulle in Riquewihr is an emblematic building of Alsatian civil architecture from the early seventeenth century. Built in the 1st quarter of the 17th century, it is distinguished by its hors-oeuvre hexagonal staircase turret, its circular cage with helical silt staircase, and a richly decorated Renaissance door. The building combines sandstone and wood-pan elements, with traces of later changes, especially in the 18th century.
The door of the turret, decorated with carved heads (lion, man, woman) and an inscription in German, bears the vintage and arms of the spouses Liechtenauer, owners at the beginning of the seventeenth century. Inside, a room on the 2nd floor preserves a floor ceiling painted with multicolored motifs (birds, insects, fruits, flowers), discovered in 1985. The ground floor, now occupied by a pharmacy, once housed weaving workshops until the 19th century.
The property was acquired in part in 1592 and in full in 1607 by Jérémias Liechtenauer and Margaretha Schmidt, who had the turret built in 1613 and rebuilt the house body. Originally from Ribeauvillé, Liechtenauer obtained the right of bourgeoisie in Riquewihr in 1593 and married in 1600 Margaretha Schmidt, one of the local fortunes. The outbuildings, marked by the dates 1572 and 1607, bear witness to a prolonged artisanal and agricultural occupation.
Ranked a historic monument in 1989, the house illustrates the architectural and social heritage of Alsace in the modern era. Its spiral staircase, painted ceiling and Renaissance elements make it a rare example of the bourgeois habitat of this period. Subsequent transformations, such as the addition of the wood section or the semi-croup roof, reflect its functional evolution over the centuries.
The archives also mention the use of outbuildings as weaving workshops by the Kiener family until the mid-19th century, highlighting the link between housing and economic activity. The vaulted cradle cellar and the arched doors (1572, 1607) complete this architectural testimony, where Renaissance influences and local traditions combine.
