Commune of Bas-Rhin, in the Great East, Dambach-la-Ville takes place at the foot of the Vosges, on the road of Alsace wines. It is located between Blienschwiller and Scherwiller, ten kilometers from Selestat and thirty kilometers from Colmar.
Originally a Gallo-Roman dwelling, the Alsatian city was mentioned in the 11th century thanks to its fortress, one of the oldest in the region. Became fortified episcopal city in the fourteenth century, it then experienced many troubles with the siege of Armagnacs in the mid-fifteenth century, the Peasants 'revolt at the end of the fifteenth, the Thirty Years' War in the seventeenth century or the German occupation during the Second World War.
Very touristy, Dambach-la-Ville is appreciated as much for its architectural heritage as for its vineyard, one of the most important of the region. He produces the famous Grand Cru Frankstein.
Neo-Romanesque style, the church of Saint-Etienne takes place on the remains of an old baroque building of the eighteenth century, having itself succeeded the original building of the thirteenth century. The current site was built in the second half of the 19th century following a fire. Inside, it is possible to admire a Tale of the three dead and three alive, a mural of three gentlemen arrested in a cemetery by three dead.
Listed as a Historical Monument, the Saint Sebastian Chapel takes place on the heights of the city, on the hillside of the vineyard. Former parish church of the village now extinct Oberkirch, it was built in the twelfth century and profoundly modified in the seventeenth. Heavily damaged in the aftermath of the Second World War, it has received significant funding for its renovation and has been open to the public since 1962. The chapel represents a mix of different architectural styles, including a Romanesque bell tower, a nave and a Gothic bedside, a Renaissance sacristy or an altar in Baroque wood. A very old ossuary still houses the remains of the old cemetery, and according to legend, those victims of the repression of Duke Antoine of Lorraine during the revolt of the Rustauds in the first half of the sixteenth century. Just next door, you can admire a Calvary of the late seventeenth century with a Christ having the particularity to follow the visitor's gaze in all directions.
Other religious buildings take place on the town, like the chapel of St. John the Baptist of the twelfth century listed historical monument, the Chapel of the Wood of the nineteenth century with its baroque altar, the oratory of the Virgin of the early eighteenth century built by the winemakers, or the chapel of Notre Dame listed Historical Monuments.
From its medieval past, the town has retained many vestiges through its half-timbered houses or its doors of the fourteenth century. As you stroll through the narrow streets, you can also admire the 17th-century Renaissance town hall, the late 16th-century Burrus house and the Renaissance-style Bear Fountain.
Listed as Historical Monuments, the ruins of Bernstein Castle date back to the 12th century. This old castle takes place at 562 meters above sea level and is entirely in granite. One can still admire on the spot the vestiges of the high castle with the pentagonal dungeon, the seigniorial lodging, the Roman tower and the barbican, and those of the low castle with the tower Sainte-Marguerite and the main building.
To discover the architectural heritage, you can take advantage of the tourist train, the Grand Cru Frankstein trail, or the pedestrian tour. Dambach-la-Ville is also a stage of the Véloroute vineyard of Alsace.
