The Historic Village of Kayserberg France

in Worldmappin3 years ago

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Kayserberg, a name meaning Emperor's Mountain in German, is another small town in the Alsace of France and one of my personal favorites in the area. It will be the next stop on our tour of the region.

History of Kayserberg


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The town of Kayserberg was established in 1227 and it got its name from the castle ruins that are positioned on the hilltop overlooking the village.

The ruins are remnants of the past and a demonstration of the towns strategic importance throughout its history.

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The castle was built in the year of 1220 for a man named Albin Woelflin. He was the imperial bailiff for Emperor Frederick II of the German Holy Roman Empire.

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It was said that the castle at the time could house up to 40 Knights and was used as a stronghold for many centuries by several different rulers of different warring nations.

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Today the ruins are completely surrounded by vineyards, which makes them very picturesque and for a very scenic hike up the hill to view them.

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King Charles V. had this to say about the castle and of Kayserberg. I'm paraphrasing here:

"Kayserberg remains a gateway between Germany and the Latin countries. Its strategic location close to the mountains acts as a cornerstone which allows us to stop foreigners from invading the territory. It is of an extreme importance to us and to our empire." -Charles V. 1530.

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In 1293 Kayserberg became known as an imperial city and over the years, the small town grew in size at the base of the castle.

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Eventually a wall (or ramparts) was built around the town which still remains standing even to this day.

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Kayserberg is actually the only town in the Alsace to still have its entire wall intact.

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In 1525, in what was called the Peasants War, the castle was beseiged and ransacked by 13 thousand angry peasants. I don't know the reason why they were so angry though.

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Kayserberg belonged to Germany for much of its history but became a part of France in 1648. Many of the people of the village still speak German, which is quite common in the region. The towns of the area are all very close to the border.

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Kayserberg is located in Western France in the current Grand Est district of the country. Its close to the border of Germany, as mentioned, and is situated between the city of Colmar and the town of Ribeauville.

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It's about a 20 minute drive from each of those towns and even closer to the town of Riquewihr.

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We've been to Kayserberg twice now, once in the fall and then again for it's Christmas market in November and December. It is one of my favorite villages in the Alsace and one of the few places that I would go back to for a third time if I had the option.

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In truth I could probably say that for many of the towns in the region. The Alsace just has that effect on me I suppose.

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The village is set within the mountains and has thick forests surrounding three of its sides. Wine vineyards stretch for kilometers on its fourth side.

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The vineyards basically just go on as far as the eye can see.

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The town itself is made up of quaint little half timber homes and buildings that have been painted in a variety of bright colors. Its another common feature of the Alsace region and part of why I like it so much.

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As you might expect from such a place, the town is a bit touristy. Many of the shops sell local specialties and giftware, some on the more kitschy side of the spectrum.

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But among the touristy stuff like Alsacien cookies and random knickknacks, are also good quality Alcasien ceramic cookware and lots of shops selling christmassy stuff.

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Wine is obviously a big seller in town as well. The region grows pinot gris grapes, so white wine is the specialty in town.

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One of the prettiest spots is at the old stone Bridge that spans the Weiss river.
As you can see, the Weiss was more a creek than a river when we were there.

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The stone bridge was built in 1514 and connects the upper and lower parts of the city.

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On the left hand side of the photograph above you'll see a small chaple where they used to lock up perpetrators of minor offenses. There the petty criminal would be displayed for everyone in town to see.

Shame can act as a good deterrent for such behavior.

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It doesn't look like much from the photographs but the location is very picturesque and has a really nice view of the homes along the water.

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At one point while we were in town a group of horse back riders came into town to water their horses at one of the public fountains.

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It was pretty neat to see and drew in a crowd to take pictures. I don't really know why we were all so impressed by horses drinking water but I think it was the setting. It just added an extra bit of charm and old timey feel to the place.

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Sort of like this random cat sitting on the sidewalk in the sun close to the stand selling fresh baked pretzels. Charming right?

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The old town is lined with beautiful buildings that date back to the 16th and 17th centuries. The

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The city and residents do a really good job preserving their buildings and their heritage.

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Rue de Général de Gaulle is the main street that takes you through the heart of the entire city.

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But you can also wander around the side streets as well. You will definitely stumble upon some very colorful and very photogenic little homes in there.

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Well, that's it for now. If you are interested in reading more on our trip to the Alsace then stay tuned, there is more to come. Until then, thanks for stopping by. For the previous post simply click the link below.

Ribeauville Village

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The terraced vineyards are really a welcoming sight to see and the architecture is charming. We just watched a documentary about Colmar and Alsace in winter recently when it gets pretty busy so it must have been refreshing to visit it during the summer.

Colmar and the Alsace in general is definitely busy in winter because of the Christmas Markets, but they are fairly busy other times as well because it's still a very touristy location. We arrived in Kayserberg super early that day - around 9am, and by 10:30am there were quite a few people in the streets and walking the vineyards.

Ah I see, that's great to know - the ideal time to enjoy and visit Kayserberg. I can see why it's one of your personal favorite destinations.

Your posts are brilliant! I love how many people put out travel photography and it is always top-notch. It makes me all angsty that I am sitting home still, waiting for the time to be right. That and not being allowed into certain counties.

Le sigh. Will it ever end?

Your take on Alsace and Ribeauville Village is such a wonderful lesson on architecture! I just loved every moment of it. The buildings are architecturally amazing and when you look at it and it loftily says 1637 AD, I always do a double-take. Ours was not even a country then. The flowers, cascading down are so lovely... I could go on and on and on... I love it in Europe and how I wish I could have just stayed forever.

Lucky ducks. :)

These are amazing shots. Truly.

Yeah the whole covid things seems likes it's never going to end. Hopefully 2022 is a better year finally 🙏

The buildings are pretty cool in the Alsace. I love half timber homes and the colors are so bright. It's pretty incredible how old they are but how well preserved as well.

Thanks for stopping by 😊

Yeah I agree dude, Alsace is dope, that pic with the river, it's such a picturesque area. The people are also very friendly, the only minus, would be the cold haha, but I think it's totally worth it! You got some cool shots, cheers!

Yeah it's definitely a nice region all around.

It probably would be cold for you southerners ;)

Haha

It probably would be cold for you southerners ;)

Oh damn he went there hahaha

Watch out I am about to involve Canada in the conversation 😃, I just notice that you really seem in your element in that cold.

Haha I actually hate the cold. I'd choose to live in the south where it's warm any day. Snow is awesome for 3 days a year during Christmas, other than that - no thank you.

Beautiful area, indeed. Liked so much the old buildings from the old centre and the stone bridge... And the ginger cat... And the flowers... and... No, no, forget all this, I liked your whole post!! :)

When you said Colmar, I checked in the map. So it is close to where we stayed, in Mulhouse, three years ago, and from there we passed the Rhine river and continued our travel in Germany. Now some desire hits me to do a similar route this summer, but, let's see how things go until then!!

Yeah Mulhouse is in the Alsace, just south of Colmar. It definitely has the same sort of vibe to it but is a larger city. An Alsace trip is definitely worth it if you like these sorts of towns.

Colmar - Kayserberg - Riquewihr - and Strasbourg are all amazing spots in the region. Eguisheim, Obernai and Chateau de Haut Koenigsbourg could be added in as well depending on time. You can see a lot of amazing destinations all in one small area and just a few days since all are so close together.

Anyway, that's in case you ever do go there.

An Alsace trip is definitely worth it if you like these sorts of towns.

I do like them and I wish we could do several days routing and visiting smaller towns there. Nothing is impossible, it's not that far away :)

Until then, your posts serve perfectly :D

Love the pictures of the vineyard and the very well preserved buildings in the city. I also appreciate the historic part of the castle and its strategic importance. Thanks for this 😀

You're welcome. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Yeah the town has a little bit of everything.

Superb photos of the historic place. Hive is awesome which gives me chance to see abroad at home also Thanks to this community!

Yeah Hive is great for that. I do it too 👍

keep it up, you doing a great job!

Wow. This place is so peaceful and fresh. Thank you for sharing

You're welcome. I'm glad you liked it.

beautiful place. Just added it on my bucket list for my next trip to France :)
Thanks for sharing

It's a great location. You won't be disappointed.

Wow, that's a beautiful town. Those pictures are almost like time-traveling into the past.

The village is located in France but its name is typical German

Yes exactly :)

The town is beautiful. Its architecture is unique. It feels very old fashioned. very peaceful and fresh. It would be great to live here. Thank you for sharing 😊

Yes it's all of those things. I agree! 😁

A very beautiful area with tourist potential, what could be more beautiful than some hills cultivated with vines and the icing on the cake those famous wine cellars, where you can taste an elegant wine.

Yeah, all that wine there and we didn't even try any. That was pretty silly of us. We bought a bottle to bring home with us though but haven't opened it yet.

Cool photograpy friend!

So beautiful place 😍 thanks for sharing with us

You are welcome. I'm glad you enjoyed it 😊

My pleasure

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Wow! I want to go there

Hopefully you get a chance to one day 😁

Kayserberg looks amazing with all of those old half-timber houses. I could imagine easily spending a day wandering around its streets and lanes.

Yeah it's definitely worth spending a day there. I agree that the homes are really cool.

This is one of the most favorite things in my life: walking among two-story old colorful houses! France is an incredibly beautiful country! The castle on the mountain looks spectacular. Thank you @leaky20 for sharing such a unique place.

You're welcome 😊
Yeah I really like the colorful homes and buildings as well. They have that fairytale vibe about them