Kaysersberg

A free imperial city since 1293, its ruined keep standing over the rooftops and its fortified bridge across the Weiss.

Kaysersberg Vignoble (15 min from Orbey)

Era

Medieval

Tour length

2 to 3 hours

Location

Kaysersberg Vignoble (15 min from Orbey)

From

Village and castle free · Schweitzer Centre €7

The site

What to know

Kaysersberg sits at the bottom of the valley, between the Weiss and the vineyard slopes. The town was granted free imperial city status on 18 March 1293 and it still follows the plan of that era: one main street lined with half-timbered houses, a fortified bridge recorded as such since 1514, a 13th-century church and, above the rooftops, the round keep of the Schlossberg. None of it needs a ticket: the town and the ruins are freely open, on foot, at any hour. Since 2016 the commune has been called Kaysersberg Vignoble, after merging with Kientzheim and Sigolsheim.

History

The story of the place

The castle is first mentioned in 1227, when Emperor Frederick II had the hill bought to control the route between Lorraine and Alsace. Its construction is credited to the imperial bailiff Albin Woelfelin, and analysis of the scaffolding timbers dates the curtain wall to 1266-1268. The town then grew behind a double ring of walls raised between 1424 and 1432. The Thirty Years' War ended all that: Swedish troops ruined the castle in 1632 and it was uninhabitable by the close of the conflict. Around 1800 new owners pulled down the residential buildings to plant vines, leaving only the keep and the walls standing. The ruins were listed as a historic monument on 1 October 1841. Albert Schweitzer was born at number 124 of the main street on 14 January 1875; the house is a museum today. In 2017, Kaysersberg was voted France's favourite village.

The must-sees

What you really shouldn't miss during your visit.

The Schlossberg keep

A round tower 22 m high and 11.40 m across, one of the oldest in Alsace, with walls more than 4 m thick. 122 steps lead to the top, with views over the town, the mouth of the valley and, on a clear day, the Black Forest.

The fortified bridge on the Weiss

Recorded as such since 1514 and pierced with loopholes, it carries a small pink sandstone shrine at its centre. You cross it to get from one bank of the town to the other.

Sainte-Croix church

Begun in the 13th century, topped by a copper-domed tower visible from everywhere in town. The choir altarpiece was carved in 1518 by Jean Bongart.

The Renaissance town hall

Dated 1604, with its coffered ceiling and carved wooden doors. It opens onto rue du Général-de-Gaulle, the street where everything happens.

The Schweitzer Centre

Albert Schweitzer was born at number 124 of that same street on 14 January 1875. The museum follows the life of the theologian, organist and physician, Nobel Peace Prize laureate. It is the only place in the village you pay to enter.

The vineyard above the town

The paths up to the castle run through the vines, and that is where the view over the rooftops is best. Two stairways and a vineyard track start from the old town.

Opening hours

Open: Town, ramparts and castle ruins: freely open at all times · Schweitzer Centre: Wednesday to Monday, 10:30am to 1pm and 2pm to 5:30pm · Christmas market: Friday to Sunday, 10am to 8pm, on the four Advent weekends (27 to 29 November, 4 to 6, 11 to 13 and 18 to 20 December 2026)
Closed: Schweitzer Centre closed on Tuesdays, all of January, 1 May and 25 and 26 December

Tickets

Town, ramparts and castle ruins
Open all year, no ticket
Free
Christmas market
Free
Schweitzer Centre, adult
18 and over
€7.00
Schweitzer Centre, reduced rate
Students, jobseekers, income support, visitors with disabilities and one companion
€5.00
Schweitzer Centre, under 18
Free
Schweitzer Centre audio guide
€2.00
Outer car parks (yellow zone)
€2 for two hours, free between noon and 2pm
€1 per hour
Historic centre car parks (purple zone)
Two-hour limit, €10 for two hours
€5 per hour

In pictures

The place from several angles, to prepare your visit.

Our tips before you go

1Aim for the outer car parks, in the yellow zone: two hours there costs €2, against €10 in the historic centre, which is also capped at two hours.
2Parking in the outer car parks is free between noon and 2pm. Arriving at midday and having lunch in town settles the question.
3The Christmas market only opens Friday to Sunday, on four weekends. Late Friday morning is by far the quietest slot.
4On Christmas market Saturdays and Sundays, leave the car at a park-and-ride (€4 per vehicle, route de Lapoutroie or the Hinteralspach estate): the free shuttle runs every fifteen minutes and drops you at Place Gouraud.
5Allow two hours for the town circuit, and an extra hour to climb up to the castle.
6The keep is freely open, but these are ruins: 122 steps, unguarded edges, closed shoes and children held by the hand.
7The Schweitzer Centre closes on Tuesdays and for the whole of January. The rest of the village is still worth the trip, and costs nothing.
8From Orbey it is a fifteen-minute drive, the shortest outing from the house and easy to fit into a late afternoon.