Rue des Tonneliers

Obernai is one of the best-preserved small towns on the Alsace Wine Route, in the Bas-Rhin department at the foot of the Vosges, and the Rue des Tonneliers, the street of the coopers, recalls the craft that supported its wine trade. Tonneliers made the barrels in which Alsace wine was stored and shipped, and their workshops stood in a quarter of the town near the defences. The street has kept its medieval layout, and walking along it is a way of seeing Obernai away from the main square.

The architecture is that of traditional Alsace. The houses are half-timbered, with exposed oak beams filled with plaster, steep roofs, overhanging upper floors and shutters, painted in warm colours and decorated in summer with window boxes of geraniums. Many date from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, when the town was prosperous. Some of the houses were built for wine merchants and craftsmen, and the street shows how workshop, home and storage were combined, with large doors for barrels at ground level. Remains of the old defences are visible nearby, including fortified towers and stretches of wall, which recall the town's role as a free imperial city and a member of the Décapole, a league of ten Alsatian towns.

Today the street is quiet and pleasant, with small shops, artisan boutiques and cafés. You can browse for crafts, ceramics and textiles, buy local products such as wine, gingerbread and preserves, or stop for a coffee. The atmosphere is calmer than on the Place du Marché, where the Puits à Six Seaux and the market hall draw crowds, and many visitors find it a relaxed place to explore.

Obernai has other sights close by. The Église Saint-Maurice, a church with a tall tower, the Maison des Têtes and the Musée Historique d'Obernai give more history, and the Domaine des Vins d'Obernai offers a tasting. The medieval tower called the Kapellturm, on the Place du Marché, once served as a belfry and lookout, and from the ramparts walkers can look over the roofs. In winter, the town holds a Christmas market that fills the streets with lights and stalls.

The street is public and open at any hour. A short walk takes ten to twenty minutes, but allow longer if you stop at shops and cafés. It suits visitors who like quiet streets with history, photographers and those on a tour of the Alsace Wine Route. The Château de la Montagne Sainte-Odile, the hilltop convent dedicated to the patron saint of Alsace, is a short drive west of the town.