Colmar Audio Guided Walking Tour 2h10 and 21 Audio Comments

Here you are in the central square of Colmar. Place Rapp is named after General Jean Rapp, a great political actor of the French Revolution hailed for his courage during the revolutionary wars. His statue is found in the center of the square, sculpted by the famous artist Auguste Bartholdi who owes the Statue of Liberty of New York. Just that!

You are here between the two buildings that constitute the most famous museum in Colmar: Unterlinden. It is a Museum of Fine Arts, one of the most visited in France. It is divided between two buildings: the one on your left is a former 13th century convent.

Behind you is the Municipal Theatre. It was built between 1847 and 1849 by the architect Louis-Michel Boltz. In view of its success and the city’s growing population, it was enlarged in 1902 to accommodate more and more spectators.

A historic monument in Colmar, this water tower is a very fine example of 20th century German architecture. In 1886, the Swiss engineer Henri Grüner and the architect Jean-Baptiste-Victor Huen created this water tower to regulate the distribution of drinking water in the city.

Another emblematic monument of this small Alsatian town, here is the Circle Saint Martin. With a beautiful blend of Romanesque Revival and Gothic Revival, this 72-metre building along Joffre Avenue was built in the late 19th century to welcome men and children for cultural and sporting Things to do.

Here you are in Little Venice, one of the most picturesque areas of Colmar! It is here at the rhythm of the canals that you discover the typical Alsatian houses, with their wooden sections painted in the colors of the region, arranged so that they remind us of those that can be seen in Venice.

Shopping street, but just as picturesque as the rest of Colmar, Grand Street is the center of the city. In this sense, it takes you straight to Place Jeanne d’Arc, where the Cattle Point of Sale used to be held, but especially public executions.

Built under the model of the Venetian palaces, this building called the House of the Knights of St. John was designed in the 17th century by the architect Albert Schmidt, who was responsible for several other private houses in the center of Colmar.

It is a set of bricks and metal frames that has housed the Colmar Covered Point of Sale since 1865. A historic building, then, thanks to the architect Louis-Michel Boltz, who also built the city’s municipal theatre a few years before the Point of Sale.

This wharf bears its name, since it is fishermen's houses that border the Lauch. Considered one of the most beautiful spots to admire the typical houses of Alsace, the quay of the Poissonnerie housed in the 16th century the fishermen who sold their fish here.

The rue des Tanneurs marks the entrance to the district of the same name. As the name suggests, this is where the tanners were at the time, who were allowed to work only on this street.

Here you find yourself facing the old customs house of the city, called the Kofhus. With its recognizable green and yellow roof, it is the oldest public building in Colmar: built in 1480, it served as a warehouse, a place for the taxation of goods and a meeting place for Alsatian deputies and the magistrate.

Here is one of the most famous fountains in the city! Located opposite the Old Customs, this fountain is decorated with the statue of a 16th century Alsatian figure, Lazarus of Schwendi, who fought in Hungary against the Turks.

A little air of Brussels in the heart of Colmar! This replica of the famous Manneken Pis, installed on the façade of the Courthouse, dates from 1922 and was donated by Brussels to Colmar as a tribute to the common suffering that the two cities had to face during the German occupation.

At this crossroads are two iconic houses of the city. At the corner of rue Mercière and rue des Marchands, you will find Maison Pfister, certainly the most famous in Colmar.

Here you are in the Cathedral Square, but before turning your attention to the imposing Saint Martin Collegiate Church, I invite you to turn around and observe the buildings facing it.

Given the name of the square on which it stands, one might think that this church is Colmar Cathedral, but this is not the case. Not anymore, at least, since during the Revolution it had been elevated to cathedral status, but only for about ten years.

The construction of St Matthew’s Church, intended to be the Franciscan church of the city, began at the end of the 13th century. After the Lutheran Reformation, it was placed at the disposal of the Protestant cult for nearly two centuries, before being again assigned to the Catholic cult in 1715 by order of the King of France.

A true masterpiece of Gothic art, the Dominican Church was built from the 13th century on the current Martyrs of the Resistance Square. Rodolphe of Habsburg, king of the Romans, laid the foundation stone for the building.

It is a tribute to the watercolour artist and illustrator Jean-Jacques Waltz, known through his works as Hansi.

This building with such special architecture is called the House of the Heads, in reference to the 106 heads that adorn its impressive facade. Listed as Historic Monuments, it is one of the best known houses in Colmar.