Horbourg-Wihr: Heritage and River Landscape
Accommodation in Horbourg-Wihr
The Ill is part of Horbourg-Wihr’s natural surroundings. At the same time, churches, bridges and traces of Roman times tell the story of different periods in the town’s history. When planning your trip, you can choose between activities in the countryside and cultural history.
River Landscapes and Routes
An arm of the Grand Canal d’Alsace complements the river as part of the natural surroundings. The area is suitable for hiking, cycling and canoeing. Six circular cycling routes cover Horbourg-Wihr, Colmar and its metropolitan area. The Route Verte offers a different geographical perspective: it passes through Horbourg-Wihr and connects Lorraine, Alsace and the Pays de Bade. It was created in 1960 at the initiative of Joseph Rey, the mayor of Colmar at the time. The circular routes take in Colmar and its surrounding area, while the Route Verte forms a cross-border connection.
Church, Farms and Bridges
The Église Saint-Michel offers a tangible starting point for exploring the town’s architectural and artistic history. Its Romanesque origins can be seen in the square bell tower, which dates from the 14th century. The church also contains 16th-century wall paintings depicting the life of Saint Margaret, as well as the four Evangelists and the Church Fathers. The tower and paintings thus offer different ways to explore the history of the building: through its architecture and its religious subjects.
Some former manor farms also date from the 17th century. They have large round-arched gateways bearing an emblem. The Pont de l’Ill, in turn, offers an opportunity to explore the history of the link between Colmar and Horbourg-Wihr: construction of the bridge began in 1770. The river structure is faced with dressed stone and is considered one of the region’s significant river-engineering structures.
The Pont des Américains remains the only bridge of its kind in Alsace. Its history includes a set of structural components transported by Allied ships. The components were intended to serve as a landing ramp on 6 June 1944 and were repurposed for civilian construction after the war. This history distinguishes the bridge from the Pont de l’Ill, whose construction began as early as 1770.
Roman History and Cultural Events
A Castellum was built in Horbourg-Wihr in the 4th century and served as a major fortification in the Upper Rhine’s defensive system. The town also has significant underground Gallo-Roman heritage. Together, these elements offer another way to explore the town’s history, alongside its later churches and bridges.
Horbourg-Wihr is a member of the “Itinéraire Culturel Européen Heinrich Schickhardt” tourist and cultural route. ARCHIHW also organizes several conferences and cultural outings every year. If you would like to plan your trip around these events, check the dates in advance.
Saturday Market
The Saturday market is held at Place du 1er FĂ©vrier every Saturday morning from 8 a.m. to 12 noon. The stalls include florists, wine merchants, winegrowers, caterers, butchers, vegetable growers and beekeepers. The market therefore offers everything from flowers and wine to meat, vegetables and honey. Check the market schedule before your trip.
Discover more destinations: Holtzwihr, Sewen, Niedermorschwihr, Katzenthal, Ungersheim, Levoncourt, Baldersheim, Rappoltsweiler
For the broader travel overview: Haut-Rhin.
