Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Kobold House is an emblematic civil building in Wissembourg, Lower Rhine, built or redesigned in 1592 for F. Spittler and his wife, as evidenced by the engraved coat of arms and inscriptions. Its architecture combines a sandstone ground floor and a wood-paned floor, with an hors-oeuvre circular staircase turret and a carved courtyard outbuilding. The doors and windows, decorated with shingles or cornices, as well as the coffered ceilings and original frames, reflect a Renaissance style marked by archaic local influences.

Ranked a historic monument since 1929 for its facades, roof and ceiling of the living room, the house reveals traces of trompe-l'oeil paintings and elements dated 1502 and 1620, suggesting phases of construction or renovation spread out. The dependency, partially rebuilt in 1620, carries engraved vintages (1502, 1620) and an inscription attributed to Jo. Binge. Successive discoveries, such as the Renaissance ceiling in 1891 or the decoration painted in 1964, highlight its architectural evolution and heritage importance.

The building illustrates the mixture of medieval constructive techniques (pans of solid wood) and Renaissance ornaments (sculptures, friezes of d-acanthes leaves), typical of 16th century Alsace. The niches of the entrance door, once furnished with statues of guards in armor, and the objects found in the courtyard well (candelabras) evoke its residential and defensive use. Kobold House thus embodies the legacy of local bourgeois families, such as the Spittler, in a context of early urban prosperity.

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