Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The house of Matzenheim, built in 1624, is a rare example preserved in its original state of half-timbered architecture in torchi on wooden lattis. Its door lintel, adorned with a pretzel and a small bread (bakery symbols), as well as the heads of angelots crowned on the consoles, testify to a careful decoration for the time. The cross-sectional entrance from the street, unusual for traditional Alsatian farms, suggests a commercial vocation linked to its position on the old road of post relays.

The house was classified as Historic Monument by order of 10 May 1995, recognizing its exceptional heritage value. Its original state of preservation, including sculpted elements dated with precision, makes it a valuable material testimony of construction techniques and craft activities of the early seventeenth century in Alsace. The presence of baker symbols on the lintel probably indicates that the owner was engaged in this occupation, illustrating the close link between habitat and professional activity at that time.

Matzenheim, where this house is located, is an Alsatian municipality marked by a rich history, with traces of occupation since the Gaulish era and archaeological discoveries from Merovingian times. The town, crossed by the Ill (Rhine tributary), has long been exposed to seasonal flooding, an environmental context that has been able to influence local construction techniques. The house, located on an old major communication route, also reflects the importance of roads in the economic development of the Alsatian villages in the seventeenth century.

The 1995 classification specifically covers the cadastral plot A 385, emphasizing the desire to preserve this characteristic architectural heritage. The sculpted details, like crowned angels, add an artistic and symbolic dimension to this utility building, revealing the importance attached to ornamentation even for professional constructions. This house thus embodies the duality between practical function and cultural expression in the Alsatian habitat of the modern era.

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