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Origin and history

The Maison des Ménetriers is a historic monument located at the 14 Grand-Rue in Ribeauvillé, in the Haut-Rhin department (Great East). This iconic building, inscribed as historical monuments since 1927, is distinguished by its wood-paned facade and richly carved oriel, dating from 1683 according to dendrochronological analyses. Although traditionally associated with the housekeepers and their annual Pfeiffertag festival (8 September), historical research reveals that these musicians actually met in other inns in the city until the 18th century.

The floor of the house, in corbellation, presents a three-part dressing room decorated with religious sculptures, including a Virgin and archangel Gabriel, as well as motifs like the dove of the Holy Spirit. The ground floor, transformed into an inn in 1840, lost its original appearance, but 19th-century drawings (Atthalin, Rothmuller) attest to old modifications. The house belonged in the 17th century to the Beysser family, including Jean Beysser, tanner and "king of the housekeepers", then to his son Jean-Baptiste, who grew up. The initials H.A.B. engraved on the dressing room evoke Hans Adam Beysser the young.

The exceptional decor of the house, including paintings such as Ave Maria Gratia Plena and a hooded man on the gable, has partly evolved: a photo of 1888 suggests that a central pattern (perhaps a lamb) once occupied the tympanum. Despite these transformations, the building remains a rare testimony of 17th-century Alsatian civil architecture, combining artisanal, residential and later commercial functions.

The precise dating of the frame (1683) and the family archives of the Beysser confirm the anchoring of the house in the social history of Ribeauvillé, where the corporations of musicians, like that of the housekeepers, played a central role in local festivals. Although its direct link to the Pfeiffertag is a tenacious legend, its architecture and history make it a symbol of the Alsatian heritage.

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