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Origin and history

The Alsatian Museum of Gingerbread and Folk Art is located in Gertwiller, an Alsatian wine village located at the foot of Mount Sainte-Odile. This place, once a high place for making gingerbread, housed nine artisans in the early twentieth century. Today, only two manufacturers remain: Fortwenger and Lips, the latter having founded the museum in 1998 in a tithe barn dated 1756. Gingerbread, certified in Alsace as early as 1453, was already served at Christmas holidays by the Cistercian monks of Marienthal.

The museum exhibits traditional tools related to the manufacture of gingerbread, such as 17th and 18th century wooden mussels, oak kneading, or ancient cups. A collection of more than 700 kouglof mussels and terracotta biscuits, with symbolic shapes (heart, star, paschal lamb), illustrates Alsatian popular art. These objects reflect local customs, mixing daily life and festive traditions, such as baptismal wishes or dowry bags.

Beyond the culinary tools, the museum presents Alsatian folk art pieces, including an 18th-century wooden stube – a central piece of Alsatian houses, heated and multifunctional. A polychrome wedding cabinet from 1835 and the earthenware of Hannong (Strasbourg manufacture active from 1721 to 1780) complete the collections. These elements bear witness to the artisanal know-how and domestic traditions of the region.

The museum also highlights the old images glued to the gingerbread, such as representations of Santa Claus, St. Nicholas, or Easter hare, coloured in the 19th century. These motifs, both decorative and symbolic, underline the link between this specialty and religious or popular celebrations in Alsace.

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