The city of
Colmar is located in eastern France in
Alsace and is the capital of the Haut-Rhin department.
Colmar is considered an industrial port city and is a primary location for the manufacturing of metal and textiles. The city has a population of over 70,000 inhabitants and is connected to other cites by rail service and a canal.
Colmar was a free city of the Holy Roman Empire until it was declared the capital of
Alsace by Louis the XIV in 1653.
Colmar is situated in the heart of the Haut-Rhin where many of the well known wine names are made. Many people choose
Colmar when they visit
Alsace due to its many vineyards and wine explorations. Visitors often explore quaint medieval towns located in the vicinity of
Colmar that offer vineyards with wine tasting activities as well as a primary stop at the Cave de Musee which has one of the largest selections of wines in France.
Other tourist attractions include the old section of
Colmar where visitors can explore its impressive medieval architecture, Eglise St-Martin which was constructed during the 12th century and has an interesting Romanesque architecture, and the Unterlinden Museum (Under the Linden Trees) which is located in a convent that dates back to the 13th and 14th century and contains many notable works of art from the 15th century Rhenish school.
In the centre of
Colmar you can find the Eglise des Dominicains which contains the famous painting “Virgin of the Rosebush” created in 1473 by Martin Schongauer who was a resident of
Colmar and the Musée Bartholdi which is the house of Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi, the famous sculptor of the Statue of Liberty. The Musée Bartholdi contains plans and scale models of that relate to the construction of the Statue of Liberty along with a replica of Bartholdi’s
Paris apartment and Egyptian artifacts he collected during his travels during the 1800s.
