Colmar

While traveling in the western regions of Germany, we popped across the border twice to enter the Alsace region of France, the first time visiting Colmar.



Colmar is the home of Bartholdi, the sculptor of the Statue of Liberty. His home is now a museum, and outside is a sculpture he created of people holding up a world.



The most beautiful part of Colmar is known as "Little Vienna," because the area is built around canals.



We took a gondola ride and learned something about the city's history. Originally, the canals carried commerce into the area and were used as a sewer. The color of each house or building said something about its occupants. Red meant that the occupants were Catholic, and blue that they were Protestant, if I remember right. The color also could tell what profession the owner practiced, whether baker, cobbler, or lawyer.



The pattern of crossbeams also had significance. An X-shaped pattern was for success in marriage, while diamonds were thought to ward off evil spirits.



In Colmar is quite a descent museum, the Musée d'Unterlinden. Originally built as a monastery by Dominican monks in the 13th century, the building is a beautiful example of Gothic architecture. The cloister, lined by arcades, contains a garden and a fountain.



Inside the museum artwork, artifacts, and armor are displayed. Each major European civilization is represented, and many periods of art, from ancient to modern. The former chapel houses the museum's most famous piece of art, Le Retable d'Issenheim by Matthias Grünewald.

After seeing Colmar, we left for Strasbourg.