Ribeauvillé

Ribeauvillé and its vicinity were the possession of the powerful Lords of Ribeaupierre, a local dynasty who built the three castles which still dominate the town. The ruins are accessible by hiking footpaths from the town.
The Saint-Ulrich castle is by far the most impressive, although the smallest at 528 metres. Saint Ulrich is also the oldest: its construction started in the 11th century. The castle features three architectural styles: Romanesque, Gothic and Early Renaissance. The Girsberg castle, built in the 13th century by the Ribeaupierre, was given to house the knights of Girsberg in 1304. The Haut-Ribeaupierre castle is the highest of the three at 642 metres. Only the circular keep stands today, on top of which there is a commanding view over the Alsace Plain and the Black Forest of Germany in the distance.

The semi- pedestrianised street of Grand’Rue acts as the spinal cord of the town. Most of Ribeauvillé’s finest houses and monuments are found along the narrow main street, including the 13th century Butchers’ Tower (Tour des Bouchers) which separates the lower to the higher parts of town. Other houses of interest are the Pfifferhüs (former house of the fife-playing minstrels), the Halle aux Blés (covered corn exchange hall), the Old Inn 'Zum Elephant' (Auberge à l’Eléphant') from 1522, the 18th century Town Hall and its small museum with a prestigious collection of silver and gold items.

A major tourist hub along the Alsace Wine Route, the town of Ribeauvillé is framed by fantastic scenery of vineyards and rolling hills lying on the edge of the Vosges. The mountain flanking the town is crowned by three ruined feudal castles, giving this site an enchanting touch.
Renowned for its Riesling and Gewurztraminer white wines, the vineyards of Ribeauvillé produce local Grands Crus Kirchberg, Osterberg and Geisberg.

Built in 1773 in the classical style, the facade is surmounted by a pediment. Windows and door include tracery of carved sandstone, the balcony of the first floor has a wrought iron railing Louis XVI style. Several artworks are preserved inside (old furniture from the castle Ribeaupierre, paintings, dyed fabrics). The Council Chamber is upholstered in Adrianople red finish which made the fame of the former factory Steiner in the 19th century. The Treasury contains an outstanding collection of gold plates and silver goblets from the 15th to the 17th centuries donated to the Town by the Lords of Ribeaupierre.

This timbered building dates back to 1522 and owes its surprising name for the Middle European location to the elephant pictured on its façade.
To its right side lies the former Corn Exchange that was first mentioned in 1431. It housed the seigniorial grain dues, hoisted using a pulley at the top of the pinion. A grain market was held regularly at this house. The facade has retained its two porches with Gothic trident shaped arches, one of which is still open and houses the entrance to the stables of the old inn "Zum Elephant". A fountain on the front side of the building bears the date 1559.

The Butchers’ Tower separates the Upper Town (Ville Haute) from the Middle Town (Ville Moyenne). It is named after the abattoir and the butchers’ stalls which used to be located just beside it. The lowest part of the tower was built in 1290 and in 1536 it was decided to raise it to 29 metres. Often threatened with destruction, it has become the emblem of the little town.

This remarkable red-painted half-timbered house is now home to a butchery. It features some interesting timber shapes: curule chairs and “gugloch” (small side windows where people inside can see without being seen from the outside).
The Boucherie Charcuterie H. Siedel serves local Alsatian food at its best. Somehow the French "Boucherie Charcuterie" sounds much more inviting to look for delicacies like Foie Gras than the English 'butcher' (who supposedly has black pudding on offer :D). This little gem of a local merchant sells more than just meat - buy cheese as well!!

This beautiful little square is lined with fine houses such as the Sun Inn (Auberge du Soleil) which was once the meeting place of the local musicians and the Sheep Inn (Auberge du Mouton), an old post house.
In the middle of the square stands the fountain built by native André Friedrich in 1862 and which personifies the town of Ribeauvillé, its agriculture and its industry. In the past, the fountain was used as the town gauge (zinnen in Alsatian dialect) hence the name of the square (Sinn).

On the first Sunday of September, the Fiddlers’ Festival (Pfifferdaj) celebrates the “day of the fifes” in Ribeauvillé. This is one of Alsace’s oldest festivals when travelling musicians used to gather in the town to pay homage to their suzerain. The brotherhood of musicians grew so strong during the Middle-Ages that it became a corporation whose statutes were recorded by the Council of Colmar.
The Brotherhood of the Minstrels (Confrérie des Ménétriers), first mentioned in 1390, operated under the protection of the lords of Ribeauvillé.
Since 1481, the fiddlers’ brotherhood has met in Ribeauvillé in order to elect their king.
Today, the lively celebration has evolved into a folk festival with a historic procession of floats depicting a series of plays on medieval life. Hundreds of actors dressed in authentic medieval costumes are surrounded by a host of street entertainers, jugglers and fire-eaters. Each year, a different theme linked to the Middle Ages gives rhythm to the event. A free wine-tasting takes place at the fountain near the Town Hall.

Meant as a humorous contribution. It isn't a joke though, just have a look at the pic.

I was quite surprised when at home I compared my picture of the shop with a fine art photograph by Dennis Barloga which I discovered online, see http://www.barloga.com/products/metz-freres-ribeauvillealsace-france.

I'm wondering which image is older.
Anyway, go in, savour and buy some fine Alsatian wine.

Very nice little hotel with 31 rooms in a very central location.

Actually I didn't have a problem to park my sedan near the city centre. So this tiny car size is supposedly necessary for local residents only.

Note: The page was originally created on Feb 22, 2008 for Virtualtourist.com. It contributed 14 tips and 27 photos to the Ribeauvillé Travel guide, was Top Rated and ranked No.5 of the Top 5 Ribeauvillé Writers. The site was closed down on Feb 27, 2017.