Riquewihr, 2023: 1

We visited Riquewihr in 2011, enjoyed it thoroughly, and were sure to include it in our little tour of the Alsace this year. Of the several les plus beaux villages de France we have visited in Alsace, it is still our favorite, and deserves two posts. Again, it is old, dating back to the 1200s at least, it is deep in wine country, and fortunately survived both World Wars fairly intact.

Helpful map; you can see where the walls were...

Helpful map if you're arriving from the 16th century

Mostly small producers, as I understand it, with a few larger
negociants, like Dopff and Irion, who blend and market more widely

Vicki at Dopff and Irion, degustating, in 2011

And again, in 2023

Lots of buildings of this vintage

Small court near the former chateau

Altar of Liberty, 1790

Dates on this building are 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries; the
communal forge in 1606; now, another confirmation of my theory
that in time everything becomes a restaurant

Package deals

Even in Alsace, one does not live by wine alone

Floral up-cycling

Street scene, main drag

Definitely weinstub country

Roofing and sundial

Kosher wine?

Interesting carving on many of the half-timbered types;
this guy maybe a carpenter?

Tower/portal at one end of the village

We're close enough to Deutschland for there to be a Kathe Wohlfahrt
outpost

More floral up-cycling 

Hunawihr

Next up was the village of Hunawihr, located in a sea of Riesling and Gewurztraminer vines, reknowned mostly for its fortified Medieval church and its views of the three ruined feudal castles above Ribeauville. Hunawihr is named for St. Huna, who died in 629, wife of the Lord Hunon. She was really nice to the sick, the poor, et al., and got canonized by local boy Pope Leon a millennium or so later. The importance of this will become apparent when we visit Eguisheim. Anyhow, after visiting Hunawihr we spent the next couple nights at the campground near old friend Riquewihr.

Hunawihr street scene

We theorize these trough were not always troughs

Valley view

Three ruins above Ribeauville

Approaching the fortified church

Helpful plan; Hunawihr's church is notable too in servicing both

Catholic and Protestant congregations, since the 17th, when Louis XIV

"liberated" Alsace from the Protestants; not always amicably

Tower/keep

Foundations from the 10th century, mostly later Medieval

Within the walls...the town cemetery

Note slits for cross-bows, muskets...

A little landscaping too

A much-simplified astronomical clock, only does
months (for retirees?)

Sea of vines

Note bunches of grapes on clock hands...interestingly,
all the church towers we've seen in France have clocks
that actually work

Hunawihr and environs from the church

Theft-proof mailbox

Dragon downspout...not available from Home Depot

Mittelbergheim

From Strasbourg we set forth June 13th for a few days' tour of four of the Alsace's better known villages, all members of the Les Plus Beaux Villages de France organzation--pretty little villages, we call them--which we have made a habit of visiting in recent years. Mostly one just parks and walks around, appreciating the old buildings, the beautiful landscaping, and whatever special aspects of the place recommend themselves. First up this time was Mittelbergheim, an hour or two from Strasbourg, deep--very deep--in Alsatian wine country. If you want to see a beautiful Alsatian wine village that's not totally touristy, I recommend Mittelbergheim.

Big-time wine country

Modest little parish church

Stork nests all around; we'd have a close encounter with
one a day later

Mid-June; everything in bloom

Vins fins everywhere

One of the larger caves in the village

Evidently, a pretty well-regarded one (alas, tasting and 
driving don't mix well)

Closed for lunch, but we were able to walk around
appreciating the interesting 12th century decor...see below

And click to enlarge to read the Anglais

A whole block of outdoor displays on traditional (i.e., Renaissance)
wine-producing processes and technologies

But not in English too

The life-sized mannequins had a certain Chucky-esque appearance

Pretty little village, yes, but much more too

And, not least, a guide to Renaissance residential styles and features;
and in English too