Musée Historique d'Obernai

Obernai is one of the most attractive small towns on the Alsace Wine Route, a half-hour or so from Strasbourg at the foot of the Vosges. Its historical museum is the place to get a sense of the town's story, from its medieval origins to the modern period, and it makes a quiet counterpart to the busy market square and the vineyards outside the walls. The museum is a small, local institution, so it is best approached as a short, focused visit rather than a major collection.

The story it tells is a rich one. Obernai is tied to Saint Odile, the patron saint of Alsace, who according to tradition was born in the area in the seventh century and later founded the convent on the Mont Sainte-Odile that overlooks the plain and remains a major pilgrimage site. In the late Middle Ages the town became a free imperial town and belonged to the Decapole, the league of ten Alsatian towns formed in 1354 to defend common interests within the Holy Roman Empire. That political independence, together with the wealth from wine and trade, produced the fortifications, the market square and the well-kept houses that you see today.

Later periods are part of the picture too. Alsace changed hands between France and Germany more than once between 1871 and 1945, and Obernai's civic and everyday life reflects that, so a local museum naturally touches on the effects of those changes on the families and trades of the town. Objects of daily life, documents, prints and photographs of the kind typically held in a town museum give a feel for how residents lived.

A visit also works as a prelude to a walk through the old town. The market square, Place du Marché, is surrounded by half-timbered houses and has a well with six buckets, the Puits aux Six Seaux, as well as the former belfry known as the Kappelturm. The town ramparts, which partly survive, and the parish church on the square make a good circuit. Wine producers in and around the town, including the Domaine des Vins d'Obernai, offer tastings, so the museum can be one stop in a day of history and local produce.

Obernai suits families, couples and day-trippers from Strasbourg or Colmar, as well as walkers heading up to Mont Sainte-Odile. The Christmas market in December brings crowds, while spring and autumn are quieter and show the vineyards at their best. Opening times at small museums vary by season, so check locally before planning your day around it, and combine the visit with a stroll along the old streets and a stop for a Flammekueche, the thin Alsatian flatbread, or a glass of local Riesling.