Traditional Alsace
Riches of the Haut-Rhin
Surrounded by a myriad of small villages, high places of viticulture, the Haut-Rhin,
It is visited by its famous "Routes of the Wines" furrowing its hills covered with vines,
In this Alsatian department proud of its storks crowning its steeples of brass,
Close to the Grand Ballon, a popular area for walkers and skiers.
At the edge of the national park of the Ballons des Vosges, nestled in its verdant valley,
Dominated by the fortress of Haut Koenisbourg, the medieval village of St Hippolyte,
Housed in this small village with winding alleys of houses with brown and prominent roofs,
Protected by the fortified tower of the Storks and the relics of its elite Roman martyr.
Nestled between two streams Hunawihr aligns its traditional vineyard dwellings,
Here, as in many Alsatian villages, the Catholic and Protestant cults,
Are celebrated alternately in the small church overlooking the timeless houses,
On this limestone soil where radiate the stars of the riesling and the gewurztraminer gouleyant.
Absolute nugget of the wine route, spared by the two world conflicts,
The architectural heritage surrounded by vineyards of Riquewhir is a jewel,
One would think one was immersed in a watercolor of Hansi, the chanter of a "happy Alsace"
In this wine village dominated by its "skyscraper" with vigorous architecture.
On the path of the "Pearls of the Vineyard", Zellemberg has preserved a rich heritage,
The old houses with lintels carved with the emblems of coopers or merchants,
Recall that the city has always lived its prestigious vintage fetishes,
The church, under the patronage of St Ulrich, houses a six hundred year old pieta.
At the bottom of the valley of the Weiss, watching the Bonhomme by his imperial keep,
Kaysersberg offers an exceptional concentration of houses with thick wooden sides,
Its old medieval fortified bridge, its Renaissance fountain give a seigniorial cachet,
To the city of Albert Schweitzer, doctor without borders, Nobel Peace Prize.
In the middle of a sea of vines of the great cru Sommeberg arises a lonely village,
Niedermorschwihr to the remarkable houses animating a festival of colors,
Adorned with corner posts inscribed with insignia indicating the occupation of the possessors,
The church dedicated to St. Gall, with its spectacular twisting spire on its bell tower.
Pearl of the Brand vineyard, Turckheim, surrounded by ramparts, opens the valley of Munster,
Affublés of the sobriquet of "lochschlupfer", fauffurs of holes, under the Sun King,
Its inhabitants have lived under the supervision of the "Nätcht wächter"
This guardian of the temple doing his protective round in traditional costume, except winter.
A favorite village of the French, Eguisheim winds its alleys around its feudal castle,
The colors of the half-timbered houses obey a code with a social function,
Because blue is used by Catholic families living in woodworking,
The relics of Pope Leo IX, rest in the chapel of pink sandstone Haut-Rhinois.
Man was able to subdue the Rhine, that capricious river with regular floods,
But the Old Rhine with the shores chiselled by the vegetation celebrates the wedding of the centenary trees,
With all the spring greens, celadon of the oaks, silvery poplars,
Illuminating the look of the crested grebes surprised by the robbery of the dressed blue kingfisher.
Remarkable site of the Rhine natural environment, the "Petite Camargue" Alsatian,
Through its marked trails and observatories opens a mosaic of circles without noise,
With its reed beds, wet meadows and ancient alluvial forests,
Where gigantic black poplars dominate the willows that are weeping after the rain.
In the heart of the "Trois Frontières" region, situated on the edge of the Rhine,
Village Neuf is renowned for its flower gardener, the asparagus of connoisseurs,
In Huningue, Vauban built a fortress protecting the pass of the invaders,
But France, Switzerland and Germany are linked by the "Three Countries" bridge.
Border with Switzerland, Ferrette, in the heart of a pristine nature ,
Is proud to be the capital of Sandgau with houses hanging on the valley side,
This village of history and culture saw the Habsburg line reign over Europe,
Its look of medieval city made it the tourist pearl of the Jura kaleidoscope.
L’ARIÉ….JOIE