Colmar, France and The Statue of Liberty

Colmar, France and The Statue of Liberty

On the highway leading into Colmar

This past week, we spent a couple of sunny days in Colmar, another treasure in the Alsace Region. Went there on the spur of the moment. We’d seen photos on the net and heard great things, but still, we didn’t know quite what to expect, other than old and beautiful.  Colmar is a fairly large city of about 71,000, but the place you want to spend your time is the old city.

I picked the hotel at random, with only two things in mind:  close proximity to the old city and an economical price.  I got both with Hotel Saint-Martin.  It’s a jewel set in a beautifully restored old stone building, with a friendly, helpful staff, some of whose English made mincemeat of my stumbling high school French.  After a sputtering attempt to blend, I asked the middle aged lady at the desk, Parlez-vous Anglais? Got a quick response: My English is a little rusty, but I will do what I can to help.

Yep, you’ll do.

I’d made arrangements at the hotel, but messed up both day and month.  In mere moments, the desk clerk patched up my self-inflicted wound and found us a very comfortable accommodation.  We dropped off our luggage and stepped out into the blazing sunshine of a perfect June day.

Old town Colmar is a maze of cobblestone walking streets, lined with two and three story half-timbered buildings, most of them over 400 years old, as evidenced by blackened and twisted timbers.   The Hotel Saint-Martin is right in the middle of these noble, historical tributes.

With hundreds of outdoor cafes on every corner of this self-porclaimed Capitol of the Alsatian wine region, it was time for refreshment.  But, on this , sunny, sweaty day, we grabbed a table in the shade and swigged a fruity Alsatian bière. Wait.  No we didn’t.  We swigged two big ones and fortified our period of rest and relaxation with stylish cups of Armagnac.

Don’t know Armagnac? Think of Cognac with more flavor and a smoother, rounded finish.  A luscious gift from the sun bleached south of France.

But, our trip was not all outdoor cafes.  There was also an outdoor supper in the fade of the day, in an out of the way, small and beautiful plaza.  I’ll let photos give you the details.

Aside from being surrounded by historic beauty, what else did we enjoy?

As my three faithful readers know, I don’t just visit a spot to snap a few photos and down a libation or six.  Certainly not!  I like to fill my curious mind, mostly about things no one else cares about.  In Colmar I found something that perhaps a few more may share my interest in.

The Bartholdi Museum

The Great Man himself.

Colmar is the birthplace of Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, the sculptor of one of America’s treasures, The Statue of Liberty, or as Bartholdi named it, Liberty Enlightening the World. This huge, copper statue, stands 151 feet 1 inch tall, and counting the base, it’s over 300 feet.

Of course we went to the Bartholdi maison, now a museum.  But, if you’ve seen one museum, you’ve…….STOP RIGHT THERE.  In this museum you get much more than dusty relics and trivial facts; you get an intimate tour of the mind of the artist.  Of course there are photos of his greatest work, which now resides on Liberty Island, but there is also the creative trail that led from concept to reality. No telling how many sketches Bartholdi made, and when he began to work in clay, the process fascinates even more, from crudely fashioned small, brown figurines, to the final gargantuan finish.   With glance upon glance you can follow the progressive growth of his final creation.  

The preposterous idea that a sculptor creates a masterpiece in an afternoon of light work and few sips of wine falls away.  Neither did Bartholdi work alone.  Although he was the driving force, he consulted with metal workers and engineers and so many others who accepted the challenges of such a massive work.

Here are some other little known details that connect Lady Liberty to America and the world at large: The statue’s tiara or diadem has seven spikes, symbolizing the seven continents and seven seas. In her left arm she holds a tablet engraved with the Roman numerals for 4 July 1776. Lady Liberty herself is modeled after the robed Roman goddess of liberty, Libertas.  Should you want to climb to the top, stand by for a steep climb of 20 stories and don’t expect to be able to take a view from the platform surrounding the torch.  It’s not been allowed since 1916.

Models with and without the seven spikes on the crown.

Aside from the famous statue, the museum is also a dispeller of so many myths.  While Bartholdi’s vast body of work is fully displayed in photos and smaller versions, most of it commissioned for public display in French towns and cities, many of his projects were abandoned for lack of cash, or because city fathers were not pleased with his ideas.  Other times he had to repeatedly change his work to comply with the wishes of this or that committee.

So, anything else to do in Colmar besides cafes and the Bartholdi museum?  You bet!  Colmar is also known as the Venice of Alsace and the Larch River flows down the middle of town.  Beautiful place for photographs or to treat yourself to a boat ride.  Then there’s the Unterlinden Museum of  Art, featuring art from the middle ages to the present. Monet and Picasso are two names I have to mention.  And don’t forget the magnificent Saint Martin’s Church, dating to 1235 (or perhaps earlier) and restored several times since.

We were only In Colmar for one full day and one night, but what an adventure and what a wonderful experience.  So, would I go back?  Mais, oui!  And would I drink more beer and dine on lovely French cuisine, and stay at the Hotel Saint-Martin?  I think you know the answer.

Getting there: Colmar is two and a half hours by train from Paris.  The cost is about 25€ or $30.  If you’re coming from Frankfurt, Germany, it is also two and a half hours and costs 35€ or $40.  From Luxembourg, the fastest trains are 2-3 hours and the cost ranges greatly, depending on the time of day.