Eguisheim

Eguisheim grew in circles: the octagonal castle of the counts stands at the centre, and the houses were built in rings around it following the line of the old fortifications, so the main streets are curved lanes that return to where they started rather than a grid. The frames are painted in strong colours with geranium boxes at every window, and cellars open off the lanes for tasting. Pope Leo IX was born here in 1002. Three ruined castle towers stand on the hill above and can be walked to. Grand cru vineyards, Eichberg and Pfersigberg, come right to the edge of the houses.

History

Excavations show people in the area as early as the Palaeolithic: two fragments of a human skull found here in 1865 and described by the Colmar physician Charles-Frédéric Faudel became, through Paul Broca from 1867, part of the early debate on fossil humans, compared with the finds from Neanderthal and Spy. In early historic times the area was home to the Gaulish Senones, the Romans developed winegrowing here, and in the 11th century the Dukes of Alsace built the castle around which the present village grew (Wikipedia, Eguisheim).

What you'll find

• The circular lanes - streets curving in rings around the central castle.
• The painted frames - timber houses in strong colours with window boxes.
• The three towers - ruined castles on the ridge above the village.
• The grand cru slopes - vineyards reaching the village edge.

When to go

April to October for wine and flowers; late November and December for the Christmas market, which is among the better ones in Alsace. Harvest is September and October.

Good to know

The village is tiny and packed with coaches in season and at Christmas, when the lanes barely move. Ground floors are almost all shops or tasting rooms. Parking is outside and charged.

Nearby

Colmar lies northeast; Riquewihr and Kaysersberg are north along the wine road.

Key facts