54 Best Sights in Alsace-Lorraine, France

Dark pink, ornately carved Vosges sandstone covers the facade of this most novel and Germanic of French cathedrals, a triumph of Gothic art begun in 1176. Not content with the outlines of the walls themselves, medieval builders lacily encased them with slender stone shafts. The off-center spire, finished in 1439, looks absurdly fragile as it tapers skyward some 466 feet. You can climb 330 steps to the base of the spire for sweeping views of the city, the Vosges Mountains, and the Black Forest.

The interior presents a stark contrast to the facade: it's older (mostly finished by 1275), and the nave's broad windows emphasize the horizontal rather than the vertical. Note Hans Hammer's ornately sculpted pulpit (1485) and the richly painted 14th- to 15th-century organ loft that rises from pillar to ceiling. The left side of the nave is flanked with richly colored Gothic windows honoring the early leaders of the Holy Roman Empire—Otto I and II and Heinrich I and II. The choir is not ablaze with stained glass but framed by chunky Romanesque masonry. Head to the right transept to admire the Pilier des Anges (Angels' Pillar), an intricate Gothic column dating from around 1230.

Just behind the pillar, the Renaissance machinery of the imposing 16th-century Horloge Astronomique whirs into action daily at 12:30 pm (but the line starts at the south door at 11:45 am) with macabre clockwork figures enacting the story of Christ's Passion. One of the highlights: when the apostles walk past, a likeness of Christ as a rooster crows three times.

Dominating the 18th-century Place d’Armes, this Gothic masterpiece rises almost 300 feet above the city, its grandeur amplified by soaring flying buttresses, menacing gargoyles, and elaborate stone carvings on its two portals. The slightly grimy interior only serves to accentuate the beauty of its 70,000 square feet of stained glass windows, dappling colored light inside the nave and earning the cathedral the moniker of “God’s Lantern.” In the ambulatory, Chagall’s 1960 stained glass depicts Old Testament scenes in a flurry of blues and reds, while an illuminating yellow dominates his north transept take on the Garden of Eden.

Opened in 2010, this offshoot of the famed Parisian museum is one of the city’s biggest pulls. It features similarly bold architecture: its roof is composed of a shell-like white fiberglass membrane held in place by an intricate network of wooden lattices. Light passes through the roof and through the huge picture windows in the galleries, bathing the interior in an ambience of airy luminosity. The eclectic temporary exhibitions are themed or monographic, showcasing the work of modern and contemporary artists.

The ruins of the Château du Haut-Koenigsbourg were presented by the town of Sélestat to German emperor Wilhelm II in 1899. The château looked just as a kaiser thought one should, and he restored it with some diligence and no lack of imagination—squaring the main tower's original circle, for instance. The site, panorama, drawbridge, and amply furnished imperial chambers may lack authenticity, but they are undeniably dramatic.

Europe's only museum devoted to Art Nouveau is in an airy turn-of-the-last-century garden–town house built by Eugène Corbin, an early patron of the École de Nancy. Re-created rooms show off original works by local Art Nouveau glassmakers Emile Gallé, Antonin and Auguste Daum, Amalric Walter, and other artisans. Immerse yourself in the fanciful, highly stylized, curlicue style that crept into interiors and exteriors throughout Nancy in the early 20th century, then became a sensation around the world.

The cultural highlight of Colmar is the Musée d'Unterlinden; once a Dominican convent and a hotbed of Rhenish mysticism, the building's star attraction is one of the greatest altarpieces of the 16th century, the Retable d'Issenheim (1512–16), by Matthias Grünewald, which is displayed in the convent's Gothic chapel. Originally painted for the convent at Issenheim, 22 km (14 miles) south of Colmar, the multipanel work is either the last gasp of medievalism or a breathtaking preview of modernism and all its neuroses. Replete with raw realism (note the chamber pots, boil-covered bellies, and dirty linen), Grünewald's altarpiece was believed to have miraculous healing powers over ergotism. Widespread in the Middle Ages, this malady was caused by ingesting fungus-ridden grains, and its victims—many of whom were being nursed at the Issenheim convent—experienced delusional, nearly hallucinogenic fantasies.

Arms and armor are among the treasures in the enchanting 13th-century cloister. Upstairs are fine regional furnishings and a collection of Rhine Valley paintings from the Renaissance, among them Martin Schongauer's opulent 1470 altarpiece painted for Jean d'Orlier. A copper-roofed wing has three floors dedicated to modern and contemporary art (including the Guernica tapestry by Jacqueline de La Baume-Dürbach), as well as temporary exhibition space.

The exterior of this massive, neoclassical palace (1732–42) by architect Robert de Cotte may be austere, but there's plenty of glamour inside. Decorator Robert le Lorrain's magnificent ground-floor rooms include the great Salon d'Assemblée (Assembly Room) and the book- and tapestry-lined Bibliothèque des Cardinaux (Cardinals' Library). The library leads to a series of less august rooms that house the Musée des Arts Décoratifs (Decorative Arts Museum) and its elaborate display of ceramics. This is a comprehensive presentation of works by Hannong, a porcelain manufacturer active in Strasbourg from 1721 to 1784. Dinner services by other local kilns reveal the influence of Chinese porcelain. The Musée des Beaux-Arts (Fine Arts Museum), also in the château, includes masterworks of European painting from Giotto and Memling to El Greco, Rubens, and Goya. Downstairs, the Musée Archéologique (Archaeology Museum) displays regional finds, including gorgeous Merovingian treasures.

With gingerbread, half-timber houses that seem to lean precariously over the canals of the Ill, plus old-fashioned shops and inviting little restaurants, \"Little France\" is the most magical neighborhood in Strasbourg. The district, just southwest of the center, is historically Alsatian in style and filled with Renaissance buildings that have survived plenty of wars. Wander up and down the tiny streets that connect Rue du Bain-aux-Plantes and Rue des Dentelles to Grand'Rue, and stroll the waterfront promenade.

With its severe, gleaming-white, classical facades given a touch of rococo jollity by fanciful wrought gilt-iron railings, this perfectly proportioned square may remind you of Versailles. It is named for Stanislas Leszczynski, twice dethroned as king of Poland but offered the Duchy of Lorraine by Louis XV (his son-in-law) in 1736. Stanislas left a legacy of spectacular buildings, undertaken between 1751 and 1760 by architect Emmanuel Héré and ironwork genius Jean Lamour. The sculpture of Stanislas dominating the square went up in the 1830s. Framing the northern exit, and marking the divide between the Vieille Ville and the Ville Neuve (New Town), is the Arc de Triomphe, erected in the 1750s to honor Louis XV. The facade trumpets the gods of war and peace; Louis's portrait is here.

An icon of the city, this magnificent fortified bridge is composed of two gateways either side of the river Seille. On the city side, the spired towers are the sole remains of the 13th-century walls that used to encircle Metz. The crenellated towers in Jaumont stone were added in the 15th century. On the bridge, a double spiral staircase provides access to and from the upper-level terrace.

Designed by Paris architect Henri Sauvage as a showcase for Art Nouveau, this stunning 1902 villa was built for furniture designer Louis Majorelle. Its sinuous metal supports seem to sneak up on the unsuspecting balcony like swaying cobras. The two grand windows are by Jacques Gruber: one lights the staircase (visible from the street), and the other is set in the dining room on the south side of the villa. Visitor numbers are limited (it's open to individual visits on afternoons only), so it's worth pre-booking online to explore the interior of the Majorelle's family villa, decorated with more than 100 pieces of sublime furniture, paintings, and ornaments—all mostly original.

This busy boulevard lined with mansions was laid out for Nancy's affluent 19th- and early-20th-century middle class. At No. 69, built in 1902 by Émile André, the occasional pinnacle suggests Gothic influence; André designed the neighboring No. 71 two years later. Number 41, built by Paul Charbonnier in 1905, bears ironwork by Louis Majorelle.

Just beyond the Ponts Couverts is the grass-roofed Vauban Dam, built by its namesake in 1685 to unleash floods against assilants. Climb to the top for wide-angle views of the Ponts Couverts and, on the other side, the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art. Then meander through its echoing galleries, where magnificent cathedral statuary lies scattered among pigeon droppings.

Among the precious medieval and Renaissance manuscripts on display at the Bibliothèque Humaniste, founded in 1452 and installed in the former Halle aux Blés, are a 7th-century lectionary and a 12th-century Book of Miracles. There's also a town register from 1521, with the first-ever recorded reference to a Christmas tree.

This vast, frigid edifice was completed in the 1740s in a ponderous Baroque style, eased in part by the florid ironwork of Jean Lamour. The most notable interior feature is a murky 18th-century fresco in the dome. The Trésor (Treasury) contains minute 10th-century splendors carved of ivory and gold but is only open to the public on rare occasions.

Built between 1235 and 1365, this collegiate church is essentially Gothic (the Renaissance bell tower was added in 1572 following a fire). There are some interesting medieval sculptures on the exterior, and the interior, which was heavily vandalized during the Revolution, includes an ambulatory, a rare feature in Alsatian sanctuaries.

The Flemish-influenced Madonna of the Rosebush (1473), noted German artist Martin Schongauer's most celebrated painting, hangs in the Église des Dominicains. Stolen from St-Martin's in 1972 and later recovered, the work has almost certainly been reduced in size from its original state. It nevertheless still makes an enormous impact. The grace and intensity of the Virgin match that of the Christ Child, yet her slender fingers dent the child's soft flesh (and his fingers entwine her curls) with immediate intimacy. Schongauer's text for her crown is: Me carpes genito tuo o santissima virgo (Choose me also for your child, O holiest Virgin).

Combining Roman, Gothic, and Baroque styles, this small church is noteworthy for Jean Cocteau’s avant-garde stained-glass windows, the artist's last major work before his death in 1963. Eschewing religious themes in favor of Greco-Roman myth and shamanism, Cocteau used pastel shades and abstract designs that hint at Cubism. The right window in the chapel features a self-portrait, with figures on the left window thought to represent conflicting aspects of the artist’s personality.

This sleek riverside building testifies to the growing importance of the governing body of the European Union. Eurocrats regularly commute between Brussels, Luxembourg, and Strasbourg, hauling their staff and files with them. One week per month (except August), you can slip into the hemicycle and witness the tribune in debate, complete with simultaneous translation. Reservations must be made in advance online. Alternatively, if Parliament is not in session, you can take a self-guided tour and visit Le Parlamentarium, where high-tech, interactive modules explain how the European Union works. For all visits, valid ID must be provided upon arrival.

Founded in 1960, this family-run winery produces some of the finest whites in Alsace. Its Grands Crus Frankstein–Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris, and Muscat are particularly prized for their complex acidity and minerality. Call ahead to book a tour of the cellars or stop by for a tasting at the shop.

The monumental buildings around Avenue Foch and Rue Gambetta were built as a showcase for Germany’s might following its annexation of Metz in the late 19th century. The area forms an architectural encyclopedia of German town-planning, with prime examples of Romanesque Revival, Art Deco, and Jungendstil. The centerpiece is the train station, built using reinforced concrete (a cutting-edge technique at the time) in a style reminiscent of the great castles of the Rhine, much like the central post office at 9 rue Gambetta.

To find Colmar at its most charming, wander along the calm canals that wind through La Petite Venise, an area of bright Alsatian houses with colorful shutters and window boxes that's south of the town center. Here, amid half-timber buildings bedecked with flowers and willow trees that weep into the eddies of the Lauch River, you have the sense of being in a tiny village.

Up the street from the Ancienne Douane on the Grande-Rue, the Maison des Arcades was built in 1606 in High Renaissance style with a series of arched porches (arcades) anchored by two octagonal towers.

Built in 1529, this former goldsmith’s house is notable for the five sculpted heads (têtes) protruding above the second-floor windows. The central figure is thought to depict the owner, while the outer characters represent the exotic countries he traded with. The building façade is original, but the heads themselves are copies. You can see four of the originals in the Musée de la Cour d’Or while the fifth is displayed in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.

Built in 1537, the Maison Pfister is the most striking of Colmar's many old dwellings. Note the decorative frescoes and medallions, carved balcony, and ground-floor arcades.

In this labyrinthine, half-timber home, where layers of carved balconies sag over a cobbled inner courtyard, local interiors have been faithfully reconstituted. The diverse activities of blacksmiths, clog makers, saddlers, and makers of artificial flowers are explained with the help of old-time craftsmen's tools and equipment.

The Bartholdi Museum is the birthplace of Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi (1834–1904), the sculptor who designed the Statue of Liberty. Exhibits of the artist's work claim the ground floor, and a re-creation of his Paris apartment is upstairs. The creation of Lady Liberty is explored in adjoining rooms.

At the city’s modern and contemporary art museum, Adrien Fainsilber’s stunning 1998 building sometimes outshines the displays inside. The latter includes a choice collection of 20th-century fine art, graphic art, and photography. Downstairs there is a permanent collection of Impressionists and Modernists up to 1950, with some notable furniture by Spindler and Carabin. The mix of 20th-century artistic movements featured helps you compare and contrast modern pioneers like Monet and Gauguin with the New Realists. Drawings, watercolors, and paintings by Gustave Doré, a native of Alsace, are enshrined in a separate room. Upstairs is a space dedicated to modern art exhibitions and installations.

There's more to this museum than the usual assembly of dilapidated statues rescued from the cathedral before they fell off (you'll find those rotting in the Barrage Vauban). Sacred sculptures stand in churchlike settings, and secular exhibits are enhanced by the building's fine old architecture. Subjects include a wealth of Flemish and Upper Rhine paintings, stained glass, gold objects, and massive, heavily carved furniture.

The city’s rich past is brought to life in this labyrinthine museum of archeology, history, and art. Starting with the remains of Roman baths in the basement, visitors are guided through the vast collection in chronological order. Highlights include superbly preserved Gallo-Roman stone pillars, a remarkable 650-year-old painted wooden ceiling from a local house, and the romanticized landscapes of the 19th-century Metz School. Look out for the 3D model of the city circa 1850, complete with city-wide fortifications.