We considered returning to Colmar today—the sun was shining and we wanted to see our favorite town in its glory. When we realized that Colmar’s neighbor, Eguisheim, was on the list of “Les Plus Beaux Villages de France,” we re-programed Izzy and headed out. Eguisheim’s story sounds familiar; a Gallic tribe conquered by the Romans; a medieval village surrounding a ducal castle. But somehow Eguisheim has remained unchanged, as if trapped in amber.
Eguisheim has a tradition of decorating the door lintels with the date the house was built and the owner’s initials or a symbol of his profession. They aren’t always easy to read and they may not be unique to Eguisheim but it’s something we never noticed before.
We followed the rampart streets entirely around Eguisheim, occasionally detouring when something caught our eye like the Church of Saints-Pierre-et-Paul. It sits in the center of the village and isn’t very impressive but hidden down a short stairway in a dark corner we found the “Virgin of the Opening Stomach” or the “Virgin of the Openable Window,” a painted wooden sculpture of Mary that opens to reveal a painted inner scene. Carved around 1300 it appears to be unique to Alsace and should probably known by its French name, “Vierge Ouvrante.”
Like Colmar and Strasbourg, Eguisheim was decorated for the holiday season, very tastefully and without a single Frosty or Santa. But I had the feeling that this is a living village with real people—not a stage set for tourists. And what a wonderful way to end our time in Alsace
