Koïfhus Audio Guide

Koïfhus: what does the audio guide cover?

1. 01

   Welcome to Koïfhus

   Welcome to the Koïfhus, in the heart of Colmar. You may also see it called the Ancienne Douane, which simply means the Old Customs House. It stands at number 29 Grand-Rue, and it is the oldest public building in the town. That is quite a title in a place famous for its old houses. The name is Alsatian. Koifhus is usually explained as meaning something like a big store or warehouse, and that tells you a lot about what this building was for. Before it became a landmark to photograph, it was a place where goods were stored, counted and taxed. Over the next few minutes we will look at its two jobs, trade on the ground floor and politics upstairs. We will also follow it through the centuries, from a near-demolition to its restoration, and see how its uses changed. Take a moment to look at the facade and the roof first. Both have more to say than you might expect.

2. 02

   A Building With Two Jobs

   From the very beginning, the Koïfhus had a double function. The ground floor was for storage and for taxing goods that came into the town or went out of it. Picture carts, barrels and bundles being weighed and assessed under these arches, with officials making sure the town got its share. The upper floor served a different purpose, and it was politically important. It hosted the meetings of the deputies of the Decapole, a federation of 10 imperial towns of Alsace. Colmar was one of them, alongside towns such as Sélestat, Obernai, Kaysersberg, Munster and Turckheim. Delegates came here to settle the federation's shared business. The building also accommodated meetings of Colmar's own magistrates. This pairing of money below and power above is what makes the Koïfhus special. Trade and government sat in one building, one on top of the other.

3. 03

   Fifteenth-Century Foundations and a Strategic Corner

   The story of the present building begins in the fifteenth century. Construction was already being considered in 1433, and the building was finished in 1480. That is nearly half a century from first idea to completion. In the sixteenth century, two neighboring buildings were added alongside it. The location was no accident. The Koïfhus stood where Grand-Rue meets the street called rue des Marchands, the Merchants' Street. These were two of the main routes through the medieval town. A customs house wants to sit exactly where traffic and trade naturally flow, and this corner was just that. The building is described as both Gothic and Renaissance in style, and it has been classified as a historic monument by the French Ministry of Culture since 1930. So you are looking at a building that grew and changed across different eras, rather than one fixed moment in time.

4. 04

   Near Demolition, Restoration and Many Lives

   In the nineteenth century, the Koïfhus was in such worrying condition that demolition was considered. Had that plan gone ahead, Colmar would have lost one of its most important surviving medieval public buildings. Fortunately, the idea was dropped, and restoration work took place from 1895 to 1898. That restoration matters when you look up. The turret and the decorative glazed roof tiles that catch your eye today date from that period of work. So although the main building goes back to the fifteenth century, not everything you see is medieval. The building also adapted to new roles. Around 1840 it housed a theater, and in 1848 the first office of the Comptoir d'Escompte, a discount bank. The Chamber of Commerce and Industry occupied it from 1870 to 1930. From the end of the nineteenth century it also housed a Catholic boys' school and a Jewish school. And it is the birthplace of General Jean Rapp, a Colmar native. More recently, the Koïfhus has been renovated again.

5. 05

   Before You Head Off

   As you leave, take one more slow look at the Koïfhus. Imagine the ground floor busy with merchants and tax officials, and the floor above filled with delegates from the Decapole's towns, deep in discussion. See if you can tell the old from the restored. The fifteenth-century walls and arches belong to one chapter, while the turret and glazed roof tiles belong to the restoration of the 1890s. Then let your feet follow the same routes the medieval traders used. Walk along Grand-Rue and along rue des Marchands, and notice how naturally this corner gathers people. The Koïfhus is only one of many stories waiting in Colmar's streets, and the Merchants' Street is a good place to look for the next one.