The Kappelturm of Obernai - History of the Belfry and the Market Square

Some monuments do more than punctuate a landscape - they are its soul. The Kappelturm of Obernai is one of them. Rising at the corner of the Market Square and the Place de l'Etoile, this belfry of pink Vosges sandstone reaches 59.60 metres and has dominated the town for more than seven centuries. It is Obernai's visual landmark, the point of convergence of all the lanes of the historic centre, and one of the most photographed monuments in Alsace.

Medieval origins - the Chapel of the Virgin

The history of the Kappelturm begins shortly before 1285, when a chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary was built on Obernai's Market Square. The tower was its bell tower. In 1474, the chapel was enlarged to the size of a proper church, taking the name Kappelkirche. The nave was widened again between 1679 and 1681. But in 1875, the nave was entirely demolished. Only the bell tower survived - becoming the town's civic belfry, the Kappelturm, the "chapel tower".

The Renaissance crown - Georg Wildemann's masterpiece

What sets the Kappelturm apart from all other Alsatian belfries is its fifth storey, added in 1596 and 1597. This Renaissance crown was the work of two craftsmen : Georg Wildemann, stonemason, and Martin Voltz, carpenter. It features a finely sculpted sandstone gallery, adorned with corner turrets and a balustrade carved with fantastical figures and animals - lions, chimeras, human faces. An inscription on the top floor still bears their names and the date of construction today. The coats of arms of the four burgomasters of the time are also visible on commemorative plaques.

The belfry - watchtower and civic heart

Beyond its architectural beauty, the Kappelturm served an essential function for centuries : that of watchtower. Guards kept watch day and night at the top of the tower, ready to raise the alarm in case of fire, flood or the approach of armed men. The tower was also the symbol of the civic power of the imperial city of Obernai, one of the ten cities of the Alsatian Decapolis, the league of free cities founded in 1354 under imperial protection.

The bells - the town's centuries-old voices

The Kappelturm still houses six bells today, the oldest of which date back to the 15th century. The oldest, the Elfuhrglocke, was cast in 1429 ; another dates from 1474. The French Revolution was fatal to part of the bell heritage : seven of the nine bells the belfry then held were melted down to make cannons. The six remaining bells are the sole survivors of that era and continue to chime the hours over the Market Square.

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The Market Square - an exceptional ensemble

The Kappelturm cannot be understood without the Market Square that surrounds it - one of the most beautiful and best-preserved in Alsace. Since the Middle Ages, it has concentrated the most important buildings of civic and economic life in Obernai :

• The Town Hall, in Renaissance style, dating from the 16th century, with its fine arcades and sculpted oriel window.
• The Grain Market, a former 16th-century market hall, now used for exhibitions and cultural events.
• The Saint Odile Fountain, erected in 1904 to a design by Alfred Marzolff to celebrate the arrival of running water in Obernai in 1893. It depicts the patron saint of Alsace surrounded by six buckets - giving the fountain its popular nickname.
• The Six-Bucket Well, dating from the 16th century, one of the most photographed features of the town.
• The former inns and guild houses - of the butchers, tailors, coopers and winegrowers - that line the square with their half-timbered facades.

The weekly Thursday morning market on this square is documented as far back as 1301. It still takes place today, perpetuating a tradition of more than seven centuries.

Obernai - the second most visited destination in Bas-Rhin

Obernai is today the second most visited destination in Bas-Rhin after Strasbourg. Its historic centre, remarkably preserved with its 15th and 17th-century half-timbered houses, partially intact ramparts, cobbled lanes and nearby vineyards, makes it one of the most representative towns of the Alsatian art de vivre. The Kappelturm is its absolute symbol.

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