Colmar, cited for the first time in 823 as Colombarium (dove's field).

XIIIth C. : Colmar becomes city of Empire under King Frédéric II de Hohenstaufen, then under King Rodolphe de Habsbourg, at the end of these Century. Population and activity grows until the guerre de 30 ans.

1635 : Inhabitants place themselves under protection of French King.

1678 : Following an attack leaded by Louis XIV himself, Colmar officialy belongs to French kingdom.

End of XVIIIth C. : Colmar becomes Haut-Rhin's Chief Administration, after the Révolution.

Under German domination at the end of XlXth C., then french between World Wars 1 and 2, Colmar is one more time occupied by germans in June 1940. February 2nd 1945, the "poche de Colmar" is defeated. Colmar definitly came back to France.

Today, the population is approx. 65 000 inhabitants. Colmar, administration capital of the upper Rhine, is situated in the heart of the plain of Alsace, close to the foothills of the Vosges and equidistant from Strasbourg and Bâle.
The old town, steeped in art and history, has been lovingly restored by a caring town council. As you stroll through its narrow cobbled streets, flanked on either side by sixteenth and seventeenth century half timbered houses, you will be struck by the calm and atmosphere of this authentic medieval setting, even further enhanced by a large pedestrian zone.
The Dominican convent of Unterlinden, founded in the thifteenth century, is now a museum and art gallery which houses the various works of art of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, notably Mathias Grünewald's great masterpiece : The Issenheim altarpiece painted in 1515.
Colmar is very proud of its position as the birth town of F.A. Bartholdi in 1834, whose work, the Statue of Liberty of New-York (1866) is world famous. Bartholdi's birth place, a fine eighteenth century town house is today the Bartholdi museum which houses models of the artist's work and many of his personal effects.
Colmar's claim to fame does not rest with its artistic characteristics. It is the capital of the Route du vin (Wine Road) which meanders through some of the most picturesque medieval villages like Riquewihr and Eguisheim. While there, you will have the opportunity to sample some of the white wines which are the perfect accompaniment of the various gastronomic specialities for which the area is justifiably famous.
So a visit to Colmar will enable you to combine all the epicurian pleasures necessary to sate the spirit and the flesh.
Why not choose Colmar and the surrounding area for your vacation this year?