Colmar, Capital of the Alsatian wine country

Colmar has 67,380 inhabitants. Situated in the heart of Alsace, on the Strasbourg-Mulhouse axis, between the Vosges and the Rhine and 22 km from the German border, the Prefecture (capital town) of the Haut-Rhin is in more than one way an essential stop for tourists to the Rhine valley.

All of Alsace in one town
Colmar is said to be the most typically Alsatian of the region’s towns.
You have only to stroll though its vast pedestrian zone to be convinced of that.
Half-timber houses with finely carved beams, richly-decorated oriel windows and volute gables, boast upper floors with flower-decked galleries that daringly hang the streets, many such specifically Alsatian architectural features abound in this old town that has been so carefully restored.
Every detail contributes to the romantic atmosphere of this picturesque setting. Since November 1997, Colmar has benefitted from a lighting system that is unique in Europe and embellishes the historic heritage of the old city and the stylistic details of its great religious and civic buildings: the collegiate church of Saint-Martin, the churches of the Dominicans and of the Franciscans (St-Matthieu), the Dominican convent of Unterlinden and the old Customs House and Guard House.

Colmar also has one of the most prestigious museums in France:
The Unterlinden Museum, housed in a former 13^th century convent, has a collection of treasures that includes the famous  Issenheim Altarpiece, Matthias Grünewald’s awe-inspiring polyptych, which is one of the great masterpieces of the world of art.
Among the many museums of Colmar, is the Bartholdi museum, situated in the house where the sculptor who created the Statue of Liberty in New York was born.

For more information about Colmar and the "post" tour, please visit the Colmar tourist office website.