Kaysersberg (; ; ) is a historical town and former commune in

Alsace Alsace (, ; ) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in the Grand Est administrative region of northeastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine, next to Germany and Switzerland. In January 2021, it had a population of 1,9 ...

in northeastern France. The name is German for ''Emperor's Mountain''. The high fortress that dominates the town serves as a reminder of both its strategic importance and its warlike past. Kaysersberg lies in the canton of Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines, which itself is a subdivision of the Colmar-Ribeauvillé

arrondissement An arrondissement (, , ) is any of various administrative divisions of France, Belgium, Haiti, and certain other Francophone countries, as well as the Netherlands. Europe France The 101 French departments are divided into 342 ''arrondissem ...

. It was a separate commune until 1 January 2016, when it was merged into the new commune of

Kaysersberg Vignoble Kaysersberg Vignoble () is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department of northeastern France. The municipality was established on 1 January 2016 and consists of the former communes of Kaysersberg, Kientzheim and Sigolsheim. Kaysersberg Vignoble lie ...

together with nearby

Kientzheim Kientzheim (; ; ) is a former commune in the Haut-Rhin department in north-eastern France. On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the new commune Kaysersberg Vignoble. Population Education The village has a primary school: "les Crecelles". ...

and

Sigolsheim Sigolsheim ( ) is a former commune in the Haut-Rhin department in north-eastern France. On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the new commune Kaysersberg Vignoble. The village has a primary school: "les Hirondelles".Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II (, , , ; 26 December 1194 – 13 December 1250) was King of Sicily from 1198, King of Germany from 1212, King of Italy and Holy Roman Emperor from 1220 and King of Jerusalem from 1225. He was the son of Emperor Henry VI, Holy Roman ...

purchased the castle and gave orders to refortify it. During the Middle Ages, Kaysersberg, a member of the

Décapole The Décapole (; , or ) was an alliance formed in 1354 by ten Imperial cities of the Holy Roman Empire in the Alsace region to maintain their rights. It was disbanded in 1679. In 1354 Emperor Charles IV of Luxembourg ratified the treaty uniti ...

, prospered. In 1648, the city became a part of France, although most inhabitants continued to speak German. From 1871 to 1918 and (again from 1940 to 1944) Kaysersberg belonged to Germany. In 2017 Kaysersberg was voted the ''Village préféré des Français'' (Village favoured by the French). The inhabitants are called ''Kaysersbergeois''.

Geography

Kaysersberg lies about northwest of

Colmar Colmar (; ; or ) is a city and commune in the Haut-Rhin department and Alsace region of north-eastern France. The third-largest commune in Alsace (after Strasbourg and Mulhouse), it is the seat of the prefecture of the Haut-Rhin department ...

, on the eastern slopes of the

Vosges mountains The Vosges ( , ; ; Franconian (linguistics), Franconian and ) is a range of medium mountains in Eastern France, near its France–Germany border, border with Germany. Together with the Palatine Forest to the north on the German side of the bor ...

, on the river Weiss. Kaysersberg lies on the Route des Vins d'Alsace (Alsace "Wine Route"). Kaysersberg is north of

Ammerschwihr Ammerschwihr (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Haut-Rhin Departments of France, department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. Its inhabitants are called ''Ammerschwihriens''. Geography Ammerschwihr is a small town located on the W ...

and south of

Riquewihr Riquewihr (; Alsatian: ; ) is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. A popular tourist attraction for its historical architecture, Riquewihr is also known for the Riesling and other wines produced in the ...

Population

Economy

The area around Kaysersberg is one of the finest wine-growing areas in Alsace. The first vines were brought here in the 16th century from

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

, and wine production is still an important aspect of the town's economy today. Wine produced from the

pinot gris Pinot gris, pinot grigio (, ), or ''Grauburgunder'' is a white wine grape variety of the species ''Vitis vinifera''. Thought to be a mutant clone of the pinot noir variety, it normally has a pinkish-gray hue, accounting for its name, but th ...

variety is a local specialty.

Culture

Kaysersberg is a historic town, that has preserved many architectural monuments. These include: * Église Sainte-Croix, the oldest parts of which date form the 13th century *Hôtel de ville (town hall), 16th century, renaissance style *Oberhof chapel, 14th century *Saint-Michel chapel, 16th century *

Château de Kaysersberg The Château de Kaysersberg (also: ''Schlossberg'') is a ruined castle in the ''Communes of France, commune'' of Kaysersberg in the Haut-Rhin ''Departments of France, département'' of France. History The castle was built for Albin Woelflin, i ...

or ''Schlossberg'', 13th century, partly ruined

Tourism

Besides the fact that

Alsace wine Alsace wine or Alsatian wine (; ; ; ) is produced in the Alsace region in France and is primarily white wine. Because of its History of Alsace, Germanic influence, it is the only ''Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée'' region in France to produce ...

is produced locally, there is the ruin of Kaysersberg Castle. The ruins of

Château de Wineck The Château de Wineck is a ruined castle in the Wineckerthal quarter of the '' commune'' of Dambach in the Bas-Rhin ''département'' of France. It has been listed since 1985 as a ''monument historique'' by the French Ministry of Culture. Chât ...

in Katzenthal, Château de Lupfen-Schwendi and Château de Reichenstein in

are within walking distance.

Notable people

Matthäus Zell Matthäus Zell (also ''Mathias Zell''; anglicized as ''Matthew Zell'') (21 September 1477, in Kaysersberg – 9 January 1548, in Strasbourg) was a Lutheran pastor and an early Protestant reformer based in Strasbourg. He joined the Reformatio ...

(1477–1548), Protestant reformer *

Albert Schweitzer Ludwig Philipp Albert Schweitzer (; 14 January 1875 – 4 September 1965) was a German and French polymath from Alsace. He was a theologian, organist, musicologist, writer, humanitarian, philosopher, and physician. As a Lutheran minister, ...

(1875–1965), theologian, musician, philosopher, and physician *

Anthony Bourdain Anthony Michael Bourdain ( ; June 25, 1956 – June 8, 2018) was an American celebrity chef, author and Travel documentary, travel documentarian. He starred in programs focusing on the exploration of international culture, cuisine, and the huma ...

(1956–2018), chef and writer, was found dead in Kaysersberg

Gallery

File:2003 0530Kaysersberg.jpg, On the left, Oberhof chapel File:Kaysersberg 2008.jpg, View of Kaysersberg File:Kaysersberg.JPG, The medieval church File:Kaysersberg Église façade occidentale.JPG, Fountain and facade of Holy Cross Church File:Kaysersberg SteCroix30.JPG, 1518 altar inside the medieval church File:Kaysersberg Hôtel de ville.JPG, Kaysersberg's Renaissance town hall File:Kaysersberg.Casa.A.Schweitzer.JPG,

museum File:Chateau Kaysersberg 2.jpg, Kaysersberg is dominated by the ruins of its castle File:Kaysersberg Château.JPG, Kaysersberg Castle File:Kaysersberg Cimetière et vignes 2011.jpg, Cemetery and vineyards File:Kaysersberg Vignoble b 2011.jpg, Bell tower and roofs seen from Schlossberg File:Maison Herzer in Kaysersberg.jpg, Maison Herzer File:00 0389 Gebäude in Kaysersberg - Elsass.jpg, A typical building