A Little More Wissenbourg and On To Strasbourg
If you are a war buff and drive around Alsace, the 200 km/120 mile Maginot Line with its forts, blockhouses and shelters are not far away. The line was built in a number of phases from 1930 on. France believed that all these fortifications would provide time for their army to mobilize in the event of attack.
Northern Alsace also had many other attractions: troglodyte castles hewn directly out of rock, a feature peculiar to the region; a Romanesque Road passing through Altenstadt, Wissembourg and Surbourg; and the nature attractions that I was enjoying so tremendously. The Rhine, forests, a chance to stroll at your leisure and great panoramic views everywhere we went. Not finished with today's short hike, the walk continued on to the village of Schweigen (now in Germany) and Weintor, the beginning of the German wine road. Another adorable town with wine and tasting rooms (along with more tourists who had driven there) all around.
From Schweigen it was a short walk on the floor of the valley back to Wissembourg with plenty of time to walk around town with a map describing the main monuments:
- The Maison du Sel (Salt House) with its extremely unusual roof. The first hospital of the town in 1448, it then morphed into a salt warehouse and later a slaughterhouse. You've probably seen photos of this unusual roof and never realized where it was located or what it was.
- St. Peter and Paul's Church, the second largest church in Alsace after the Cathedral of Strasbourg. The square tower is the only section remaining from the Norman abbey-church of the 11th century.
- Little Venice of Wissembourg. It seemed as if every Medieval town had a "little Venice" area...usually a section with canals running through it.
- L'Ancienne Couronne (The Od Crown). ...View image...It was a house until 1491 and then an inn until 1603.
- Maisons Patriciennes, 15 and 16th century houses, and Maisons Medievales, from the 13-14th century. Almost every house had a year carved above the doorway and the abundance of flowers around Wissembourg made each street a visual delight.
Sightseeing finished it was time for one last excellent dinner: grilled salmon with bernaise sauce and sorbets that really tasted like the pears and raspberries they were made from. Goodbye to friendly, charming Wissembourg and it was back on theTER train to Strasbourg.
