Street view typical alsatian house with red geraniums at windows, Rouffach haut Rhin, Alsace France blue sky, 099490_Alsace


Rouffach (German and Alsatian: Rufach) is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France. Rouffach lies along the Alsatian wine route (Route des Vins d'Alsace). An ecological and organic food fair takes place annually in the town, dealing mainly with bread, wine and cheese. Rouffach is situated on the Lauch River, 15 km south of Colmar and 28 km north of Mulhouse, on the vineyards of the eastern foothills of the Vosges Mountains. The most likely explanation for the name of the city goes back to the time of the Romans, who named it Rubeaquum (red water), due to a spring with water containing iron, which gave the water this color. In the 5th century, the city was a residence of the Merovingian kings. According to legend, the son of King Dagobert II gave the city to the Archbishop of Strasbourg in the 7th century, after the archbishop had re-awakened him from death. It finally became the main town of an episocopal fief, which also included Eguisheim. The city quickly developed and a wall was built around it. The golden age ended abruptly with the Thirty Years' War, when the town was devastated by the Swedes. At the end of the war, when Alsace was conquered by France, the fief was abolished. The city again achieved prosperity, chiefly due to wine growing, and because it was spared during the following wars. During the time of nazi annexation, a Nationalpolitische Erziehungsanstalt (National Political Institute of Education, NEPA, popularly known as Napola) was housed in a former sanatorium of the city (as of October 1940). The Notre-Dame de l’Assomption Church of yellow sandstone was built in the Romanesque and Gothic styles. The transept is from the 2nd half of the 11th century, the Gothic nave is from the 12th and 13th centuries, with Romanesque side portals. Construction on the building continued until 1508; the double steeple facade was never completed. The northern steeple is 56 m high, the southern steeple is only 42 m high.


Size: 3744px × 5616px
Location: Rouffach, Haut Rhin, Alsace France
Photo credit: © Daniel Valla FRPS / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: alsace, church, d8, dame, de, des, destination, france, haut, holiday, notre, rhin, roman, romanesque, rouffach, route, tourism, tourist, touristic, travel, vacation, village, vins, wine, ’assomption