Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

Hoffner House, located at 16 rue de la Commanderie in Kaysersberg Vineyard (High Rhine), is a remarkable example of Alsatian Renaissance civil architecture. Built in 1594 for Jean Vollrath, then clerk of the city, stettmeister and inspector of communal buildings, it combines ground floor masonry and wooden corbelling floor. Its carved windows, decorated with Renaissance motifs (acanthes, stylized fittings) and a long moralizing inscription in German, testify to the social status of its sponsor.

The facade features a three-bay corbelled loggia, with turned balusters and twisted poles, typical of the local style. Damaged during the Second World War, the house underwent restorations (roof, gable, loggia), but lost some original elements such as the pinion lifting door, used for wood storage. The inscription engraved on the right allegation explicitly mentions the name of Jean Vollrath and the date of 1594, confirming his role as prime contractor.

Ranked a historic monument by order of 4 February 1946, the house is also known as the house Haffner, after the name of its owner at that time. Its present state is the result of successive changes, including the re-engineering of the ground floor and the partial reduction of windows in the 19th century. The well-known, partially planed chambranles and allegations decorated with carved wooden panels make this a valuable testimony to the Alsatian craftsmanship of the late 16th century.

The building illustrates the multiple functions of its sponsor, Jean Vollrath, an influential figure in the local administration (Imperial Provost, School Inspector). Its scenty inscription, IVNGES BLUT. SPAR. DEIN. GUOT. ARMUOT. IM. ALTER. WHE. THUOT. ("Young, save your good, otherwise poverty will look for you in old age"), reflects the bourgeois values of the time, mixing Protestant piety and economic pragmatism.

Architecturally, the house is distinguished by its absence of an inner courtyard, a characteristic rare for urban dwellings of this period. The engraved motifs (ferrures, acanthes) and Renaissance columns of the windows underline the influence of Italian and Germanic artistic currents in Alsace. War damage and subsequent restorations have altered certain details, but the whole retains remarkable authenticity, notably thanks to the sandstone elements and the original wooden structures.

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