Enjoying an exceptional site at the foot of the slopes and in the heart of its vineyard, Kientzheim will know how to seduce you.
A small wine-producing village
Although the first written record of Kientzheim at the entrance to the Kaysersberg valley dates back to the year 785, it was only towards the end of the Middle Ages that the small wine-growing village really developed.
In the 14th century, Count John of Lupfen had the surrounding wall, which still surrounds the town today, built and fitted out. Lazard de Schwendi (1522-1583), a diplomat, wise administrator and man of war, built the castle at the eastern entrance with the so-called "Lali" gate, the current headquarters of the Confraternity of Saint Stephen. In spite of the vicissitudes of time and fashion, the village was largely spared from destruction during the fighting at the Liberation of 1944, and has kept rich treasures from its past: half-timbered house, patrician houses of the winegrowers, Council Hall and entrance to the Town Hall (1774), parish church with the Schwendi tombstones, 13th century sacristy, pilgrimage chapel with a unique collection of ex-votos (1667-1868), wash-house, fountain, Place de la Sinn, ramparts with the Chemin des Douves, Schwendi Castle, Château des Ifs (private), and Reichenstein Castle.
Kientzheim is the seat of the Federation of Schwendi Cities - sixteen French, German and Belgian cities linked by the History of the Great Man. Enjoying an exceptional site at the foot of the slopes and in the heart of its vineyards, Kientzheim will know how to seduce you.
