The story of this place
Nestled among the vineyards of the Alsatian wine road, Riquewihr looks almost exactly as it did in the 16th century: a huddle of gaily painted, timber-framed burghers' houses, cobbled lanes, ramparts and the Dolder gate-tower of 1291, all encircled by walls. Grown rich on its prized Riesling wines, the village invested in fine stone and carved wood that has endured for half a millennium. Remarkably, Riquewihr escaped serious damage in both World Wars, even as the surrounding Alsace was fought over and changed hands between France and Germany again and again. Its perfectly preserved streetscape is often cited as an inspiration for the village in Disney's Beauty and the Beast.