Wissembourg walk tour, Alsace

The old town :

• Departure : the parking of the Lauter River near of the post office, on rue du Tribunal. Join the street of the Republic by the Choux market square. Passing on an arm of the Lauter, nice view on the flowered balconies.

In the axis of the street, beautiful façade of the City Hall (1741) in pink sandstone, with a nice facade and clock.

• Take right (east) to the National Street. After 300 meters on the left, Holzapfel : 1506 Gothic house with a portal, angle turrets and false machicolation.

• Return to the City Hall and continue West to the Lauter river. On the left, habe a look at the Salt House (1448) with a large roof. Initially, it was a hospital, and then, it was a salt granary. Under the roof, hops was skipped.

• Take the Anselman wharf, along the river on the right (North). It offers a view on several houses of the 18th century. Pass to the hotel Vogelsberger (1540) : nice portal. On the balcony frescoes representing two lansquenets : the left one is Vogelsberger, with a large beard. He was beheaded in 1548 by order of Charles V (Charles Quint), accused of having worked on behalf of the King of France.

• Take right to old Saint-Jean church, of 15th century, with a romanic steeple of 13th century. This church became later a protestant temple. Martin Bucer preached here the Reformation in 1522.

• Return back on your steps and cross 2 arms of the Lauter river. You arrive at a crossroads overlooking the ramparts, bathed by the noise from water. Opposite, you can see a picturesque house with a loggia (1550). It was used to turn scenes from the "L’ami Fritz" movie in 1933.

• Back crossing a river arm and take right rue du Chapitre. You arrive in front of the Church of Saint-Pierre and Saint-Paul and its cloister (see related article).

• Go out of the Church by the right side (South), to see the Church from the Stanislas garden (private, belonging to a beautiful decoration store).

• Outgoing the garden, take left (West) and turn again left before the Sub-Province (Sous-Préfecture) Office, former Hotel Doyenné of 18th century.

• Take still left the rue Stanislas. You will pass to the hospital, a former palace where lived between 1719 to 1725 Stanislas Leszczynski, deposed King of Poland, before receiving the Duchy of Lorraine. On the other side walk, a former Abbey abuts the 1606 House of the Teutonic Knights. On the wall opposite, is sculpted monk Otfrid, who translated and versified the Gospels (Evangiles) in Germanic language in the 9th century.

• Take right the rue de l’Ordre Teutonique. After 100 metres, turn left into the "picturesque street" and cross the Lauter on a gateway. Beautiful views on the "little Venice" of Wissembourg and go back to the car park.