Entrance door of the second-hand book shop "Boîte à lire" on Place de L Hôtel de ville, Ribeauvillé, Alsace, France
Some background information:
Please note the real French mailbox that is integrated in the mural as a standing place for the painted bookworm.
Ribeauvillé is a commune in the department of Haut-Rhin in the administrative region of Grand Est in north-eastern France. It is also situated in the historic region of Alsace. Its Alsatian name is Rappschwhir while its German name is Rappoltsweiler. Ribeauvillé has more than 4,700 residents and is located at the foot of the Vosges Mountains about 16 km (10 miles) north of the city of Colmar and about 75 km (47 miles) south of the city of Strasbourg.
In 759, Ribeauvillé was first mentioned in a document under its then name "Ratbaldouilare". In 1038, the settlement passed from the Bishops of Basel to the Lords of Rappoltstein, who were among the most famous nobles in the Alsace area. The Lords of Rappoltstein used to be the protectors of the wandering minstrels in their lands, who purchased the protection of the lords by paying them taxes. In 1290, Ribeauvillé was first attested as a town.
When the family of Rappoltstein (in French: "Ribeaupierre") became extinct in 1673, the office of the so-called "King of the Pipers" (the popular name of the protector of the minstrels) passed to the Counts Palatine of Zweibruecken-Birkenfeld. In 1681, Ribeauvillé (then Rappoltstein) was annexed by France, in the course of the decades-long gradual annexation of the Alsace under the French King Louis XIV. The French army had an easy job of it as the Holy Roman Empire of German Nation was split into many small states and hence, couldn’t compete militarily.
However, a French governing authority wasn’t established in the Alsace until 1789, after French feudalism had been dissolved by the French Revolution. After the Franco-Prussian War of 1870/71, Ribeauvillé and the Alsace changed hands once again. In 1871, the town (just like the whole Alsace area) was integrated into the German Empire and between 1871 and 1918, administered by Prussia. At that time Ribeauvillé (resp. Rappoltsweiler) was the administrative seat of the newly-built district of Rappoltsweiler.
In 1918, the Alsace region became French again and remained French, except for a short period of time between 1940 and 1945, where it was occupied by the German army and integrated into the German Reich. In February 1945, the district of Rappoltsweiler was finally liberated by allied forces and passed back to France.
The ruins of three famous castles lie in the municipal area of Ribeauvillè:
Château de Saint-Ulrich is a mighty medieval rock castle, which was the principal residence of the Lords of Rappoltstein from the 11th to the 16th centuries. However, it wasn’t fully completed until 1289. The castle successfully survived two sieges: in 1287 by King Rudolph I of Germany from the House of Habsburg and in 1293, by his successor Adolf from the House of Nassau. In the 16th century the family of Rappoltstein left the castle for their newly-built Renaissance-style mansion in the town. In the Thirty Years’ War Château de Saint-Ulrich was partly dismantled and after the war was over, subsequently fell into disrepair. However, the knights’ hall and the zwinger are still in good condition and can be visited.
Château du Haut-Ribeaupierre (In German: "Hohrappoltstein") is a hill castle and the oldest one of the castles of the family of Rappoltstein. Its existence is known from 1084 and it was constructed on an ancient Roman site. In 1288, Anselme of Rappolststein took possession of the castle. Another member of the family, Brunon de Ribeaupierre became owner around 1368. Dedicated to a ferocious hatred for the English, he imprisoned Sir John Harleston, who had an imperial safe conduct, in the keep from 1384 to 1387. Sir Harleston was only freed with the payment of a large ransom and after pressure from the Holy Roman Empire. Today, most of the castle is completely ruined and surrounded by dense vegetation.
Château du Girsberg is the third castle in the municipal area of Ribeauvillé. It is another rock castle that was built by the Lords of Rappoltstein in the 13th century. Shortly after its construction it was destroyed by a fire caused by lightning, but already rebuilt in 1288. In 1304, the family Rappoltstein gave it to its vassals, the knights of Guirsberg, from whom the castle took its name. The Guirsbergs kept it until they died out in the 15th century. In the 17th century, Château du Girsberg was abandoned and hence, fell into decay. From this it follows that today, all three castles are just picturesque ruins.
The economy of modern Ribeauvillé is mainly based on three pillars: tourism, because of the town’s historical heritage and several festivals, viticulture, because the town is located in the middle of the Alsace wineyards, and manufacturing, because the fabric printing factory Beauvillé and a Cordon Electronics plant are located nearby.
