Dare to go to Northern Alsace
Less known to travelers than the region south of Strasbourg, the northern part of Alsace is worth your visit, whether for your vacation or for a weekend.
In unspoiled nature, the heart of Northern Alsace beats to the rhythm of authenticity.
Land of crafts, hops and history, it has a vast heritage to discover!
- CRAFTS - Its generous forests provide clay to the pottery villages established there. The creativity of its artisans does the rest.
- US - It is an invitation to discovery as its castle heritage is rich and the traces of its history alive.
- RELAXATION - A stopover to get off to a fresh start in your daily life, conducive to strolling and recharging your batteries.
To discover nearby… Bischwiller
Rich in a little-known historical and natural heritage, the city of Bischwiller, very close to Haguenau, offers visits on the theme of textiles, memory, architecture and even heritage. Her Laub Museum essentially traces its past as a textile town, traces of which are still numerous in its urban architecture. Classified as a flower town (three flowers), Bischwiller is bordered by a green grid interspersed with works of contemporary art. A poets' trail combines heritage and culture between city and nature and pays homage to famous names linked to the city.
and Val-de-Moder...
Nestled between hills and hop fields, Val-de-Moder immerses you in the region's brewing past with its two breweries which offer guided tours, explanations of brewing techniques, the history of beer in Alsace and of course tastings and sales of their brews in their stores. The Uberach Brewery and Micro-Brewery Le Septenaire will welcome you and make you love their beers!
Over the course of a promenade of just over a kilometer, you will be surprised by the beautiful painted facades which are available on certain buildings in Pfaffenhoffen. This discovery tour shows the town through 20 states of art, history and architecture, in the footsteps ofAlbert Schweitzer, of the physicist Frederic Joliot Curie and of the philosopher and writer Jean-Paul Sartre.
Go in search of most curious representations, such as that of the contemporary decor of the bell tower of the Catholic church painted by Edgar mahler and sculpted by Thierry delorme representing a book which flies away caught up by a character: would spiritual life escape Man?
It is Edgar Mahler painter, born in 1955, specialist in artistic painting on building facades and ceilings who renews the Roman-Gothic and Baroque polychrome painting. In Alsace, he decorated more than 120 facades. But his favorite playground is here at Pfaffenhoffen or a amazing atmosphere emerges from the streets to beautiful colorful facades.
Hunspach and Seebach, two typical villages of Green Alsace
20 minutes from Haguenau, Hunspach and Seebach are two particularly well preserved villages (besides, to pronounce correctly like the locals and to be understood if you are lost… pronounce -Hunssepar and Sébar).
Hunspach is classified among the most beautiful villages in France and “ Favorite village of the French But Seebach would just as much deserve these titles. The difference with the villages of southern Alsace lies mainly in the color of the half-timbered houses: here they have almost all remained white, which is what makes them famous. In addition to their authenticity, the houses of these villages have another particularity: the window glasses on the ground floor are curved to allow the inhabitants to see outside without being recognized, because they give a distorted reflection!
They will also accompany you to the most picturesque villages of northern Alsace and will awaken your curiosity for these places, through history, agriculture, crafts, geography, economy or the daily life of the people. populations who have, until today, shaped our territory.
Don't forget to stop by The Rural House of l'Outre-Forêt in Kutzenhausen, a true eco-museum of northern Alsace which revives and perpetuates the traditions of yesteryear.
A tradition preserved through the centuries
Pottery is an integral part of the identity of Alsatian heritage. While around thirty villages in Bas-Rhin contained families ofartisan potters in the 1850s, there are now only two left: Betschdorf et Soufflenheim. A stone's throw from Haguenau, there is today traditional pottery but also a range of new original products.
Each village retains its own shaping technique ... The potters of Betschdorf use salt sandstone, their pieces are decorated with a cobalt blue decor. In Soufflenheim, artisans use clay, and the bright colors of the final pieces give them a touch of modernity, particularly appreciated by those who seek to decorate their tables.
Whether decorative pottery, food preservation, artistic, horticultural, culinary or the virtues of well-being ... Each craftsman cultivates his own style. They perpetuate the gestures taught by their ancestors while adapting to the developments of recent decades. We then find colors, patterns, and new trends.
Come discover this ancestral Alsatian art, enter the shops and workshops and immerse yourself in the making of pottery... And above all, soak up this know-how from our artisans !
Guided tours of the workshops are organized throughout the summer, in our program SUMMER.
For opening hours of workshops and potters, inquire atSoufflenheim Tourist Office.
Memory tourism and the Maginot line
Because the destination is also a land of memory...
Unmissable vestiges mark a past that Alsace has known for several periods, especially during the Second World War. Several restored works are open to the public and offer tours!
The Maginot Line, the Fort of Schoenenbourg, the Lembach Lime Kiln, the Casemate, Vault Museum...but also certain places of memory of Jewish heritage, will open their doors to you to retrace the past of our territory.
