A couple of jesters during the Venetian Parade on Rue du Général de Gaulle in the old town of Riquewihr, Alsace, France
Some background information:
Every summer, the town of Riquewihr hosts its Venetian Parade: It is a beautiful Venetian carnival which takes place over a whole weekend at the beginning of July. The event is organized by the "association rêveries vénitiennes", an association of Venetian costumes enthusiasts whose goal is to promote Venetian carnivals throughout France. These carnivals take up the codes of the traditional Carnival in Venice: the participants are anonymous and wish to remain so.
Everyone, who wears a costume, must therefore show as little as possible of their person, hence the wearing of a mask, gloves or even a balaclava. No part of the body should be visible, except the eyes. Thus the mystery remains complete. Behind the masks, the carnival lovers play their roles: the couple of lovers, the jesters, the marquise and marquis, very happy or even sad characters. By the way, we just blundered into the carnival by chance. But we were really delighted that we did so.
Riquewihr (in German times named Reichenweiher) is a historical town in the Alsace region in northeastern France. It is located in the French department of Haut-Rhin on the eastern slopes of the Vosges and belongs to the arrondissement of Colmar-Ribeauvillé as well as to the canton of Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines. It has a population of almost 1,100 and is situated just about 10 km (6.2 miles) to the north of the city of Colmar.
The origins of Riquewihr go back to the Roman period. Remains of a Roman watch tower and a Roman wall prove that the spot of Riquewihr was located at a Roman road. However, excavated graves point to the presence of a settlement in the 8th or 9th century. Around the year 1000, Riquewihr and its castle Reichenstein became properties of the Dukes of Alsace and Eguisheim-Dabo. Back then, the settlement was already a wine-growing village.
In 1049, Riquewihr was first mentioned in a document under its then name "Richovilare". At that time, the nearby abbey of Sainte-Croix-en-Plaine was donated parts of the municipal territory, where the monks continued to grow wine. In the 13th century, Riquewihr went into possession of the noble family von Reichenstein, which was in bad odour because its members were known as robber barons.
To reestablish security and order, the German king Rudolf I from the House of Habsburg besieged Reichenstein Castle and finally conquered it. Both lords of the castle were sentenced to death and hanged at an oak tree in the proximity of their former stronghold. After the execution Rudolf went to Riquewihr and drank a glass of wine together with the villagers. Following these events the castle fell into ruins and the commune entered into possession of the earls of Horbourg.
It was Burkhardt II of Horbourg, who commissioned the construction of town walls in 1291. These town walls were surrounded by a broad and deep moat. Hence, Riquewihr became some kind of a fortress with a length of 300 metres and a width of 220 metres, which was able to host the residents of the neighbouring villages in case of an enemy attack. Two town gates protected the access, the lower one, which was destroyed in 1804, and the upper one, the so-called Dolder, which still exists.
In 1320, Riquewihr was awarded town privilege, by which the settlement was given some significance. In 1324, the Earls of Horbourg sold their lands to Ulrich, Earl of Wuerttemberg. In 1397, Eberhard IV, then Earl of Wuerttemberg, betrothed Henriette of Montfaucon, who was the heiress of the Earl of Montbéliard and who he married in 1407. By that, the estates of both families were merged and became the seignory of Wuerttemberg-Monbéliard. Riquewihr was made its capital and the seignory was led to prosperty.
During this heyday of Riquewihr, wine trade thrieved and the residents became very wealthy. In 1534, Georg, Earl of Wuerttemberg, implemented the reformation in the seignory of Wuerttemberg-Monbéliard. However, all the wealth was swept away by the Thirty Years’ War. Different armies devastated the Alsace region and of course Riquewihr wasn’t spared from lootings and destruction.
In 1680, the town was occupied by the troops of Ludwig XIV, King of France (the so-called "Sun King"), although it remained in possession of the family of Wuerttemberg-Monbéliard. In 1789, during the French Revolution, the locals associated themselves with the new Republic of France and in 1796, the family of Wuerttemberg-Monbéliard was disseised of their French properties and Riquewihr was affiliated to France. From then on the town stayed French, except for the period between 1871 and 1918 where it belonged to the German Empire again, and another short period between 1940 and 1945, where it was part of Nazi Germany.
Today, Riquewihr is a very popular tourist destination, not only because if its complete extant historic townscape mainly from the 16th century, but also because of its great reputation as a wine-growing place. The commune is a member of the association "The most beautiful villages of France" (in French: "Les Plus Beaux Villages de France"), which promotes small and picturesque French villages of quality heritage. Currently 164 villages throughout France are pooled under the umbrella of the organisation.
