Colmar

Geography and climate

Colmar is, with the foot of the solid mass of the the Vosges, the third plus big city of Alsace, and the second of sound department, after Mulhouse.

A remarkable fact: Colmar, although located in a zone of semi-continental climate (as the remainder of the Alsace, the Lorraine and the Franche-Comté) is the driest city of France. Indeed, the average of precipitations is there of 53 cm (530 mm) per annum.

(An important remark: many works and Internet sites mention a more important pluviometry. In fact, these sources quote the provided figures by Weather-France, figures which are actually those raised with the air base of Colmar-Meyenheim, distant of a score of kilometers and especially located far from the Piedmont of the the Vosges)

Why such a phenomenon? Because Colmar is located just at the foot of the highest part of the Vosges: the clouds, blocked by the peaks, pour most of their water on the Lorraine slope , leaving Colmar to dryness (this weather phenomenon is called the Effet of fœhn). Thus, it falls in one year more than one meter of water to Épinal, 1,60 m with the Col of Schlucht and only 53 cm in Colmar.

History

The first written document mentioning Colmar is gone back to 823, when Louis the Piles makes gift of a field in the area of Columbarium, with the abbey of Munster. The area then is probably occupied by some farm fields. The commune develops gradually and reaches the statute of city at the beginning of the 12th century, under the suzerainty of the emperor Frederic II of Hohenstaufen. They is at that time that starts to settle various religious communities, such as Franciscains, the Dominican ones and Augustins.

Colmar, old free city of the Holy Germanic Roman Empire, counted among the ten cities of the Décapole of Alsace. It became French in 1648 within the framework of the Traités of Westphalia. It is the seat of the sovereign Conseil of Alsace. In 1789, it counts approximately 11000 inhabitants.

After the annexation by the German Empire following the Traité of Frankfurt (May 10th 1871) it becomes chief town of the district of the High-Alsace in Reichsland of Alsace-Lorraine until in 1918, at the end of the First World War. In November 1918, just after the armistice the Alsatian ones raise and proclaim the Alsatian Soviet republic, Séléstat is organized in Soviet. November 22nd the Françaises troop go on Alsace and Séléstat becomes again French. to the signature of the Treated of Versailles (June 28th 1919) putting fine at the First World War.

Colmar is then French until in 1940 and the annexation of the Alsace to the Third Reich at the time of the Second world war.

The February 2nd 1945, Colmar is the last Alsatian city and of France to being released from the Occupation Nazi E, after long a resistance of the Poche of Colmar.

Demography

The population is cosmopolitan with several tens of nationalities different coming from the 4 corners from the world (Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, Suisses, Britanniques, Turks, Marocains, Algerians, Japanese, Americans,…). The urban surface of Colmar counts 116.268 inhabitants.

Tourist monuments and places

The city has a great number of old typical constructions of Alsatian architecture (half-timbered houses) and German Renaissance like several churches of Gothic style. In 2004 was built a counterpart of the Statue of Freedom, high twelve meters, with the northern entry of the city.

Museum of Unterlinden: it shelters celebrates it Retable of Issenheim paints by Matthias Grünewald, it is the museum more visited France after those of Paris;
Bartholdi Museum, native house of the creator of the Statue of the Freedom and the Lion of Belfort;
Museum of Natural history and Ethnography;
Museum of the Toy and the small trains;
Museum of the municipal factories;
Space of contemporary art;
Counterpart of the Statue of Freedom;
House of the Heads;
Public library, sheltering more than 1200 Rhenish manuscripts and 3000 incunables;
Church of Dominican sheltering the Virgin with the bush of pinks of 1473;
House where Voltaire remained;
Old body of guard;
Pfister House;
Adolph House, one of the oldest houses of the city;
Collegial Martin Saint;
Town hall;
Stove of the plowmen;
Synagog;
Old hospital;
Church Matthieu Saint;
Old Protestant presbytery;
District of the Tanners;
Schwendi Fountain;
Koïfhus, Old Customs;
Palate of the Sovereign Council;
Pfeffel Monument;
Gone covered;
District of the fish shop;
Old commandery Jean Saint;
House known as of the knights of Jean Saint;
Roesselmann Fountain;
Small Venice;
Bartholdi College going back to 1720;
Church Saint Pierre;
Hirn Monument;
Tower water;
Holy Circle Martin;
Bartholdi Monument;
Court of Appeal, more high jurisdiction of Alsace;
Prefecture;
Bruat Fountain;
Monument of the Rapp General;
Catherinettes;
municipal Theater.

The city can be visited in the small tourist train, boat on Lauch or the barouche.

In winter, the magic of Christmas to Colmar, it is initially the environment of the Old city enlightened and decorated like a fairy tale: a historical decoration made magic by the Christmas lights which, in this period of festival, are integrated harmoniously into the exceptional lightings conceived for the valorization of the inheritance, and which relative the center of Colmar of soft will have light. The whole city is decorated as in a dream, to make old center a fairy-like place sheltering the cordial environment of Christmas in the middle of the city. Each year, Colmariens play a leading role while taking part in a merry contest of decorations which see them competing of imagination to avoid the frontages of the houses and the windows of stores. The 5 markets of Christmas, are a source of inspiration and ideas of a very large variety and for all the tastes with for the children a market which is primarily dedicated to them. The magic of Christmas to Colmar, it is also the Rapp place draped in a ludic and fairy-like environment: in the middle of a winter decoration strewn with floqués fir trees and country cottages, you will discover, filled with wonder, an enlightened skating rink, for the greatest joy of small and large.

Colmar also counts one of the vastest pedestrian precinct of Europe.

To leave

Colmar counts many cultural equipment:

5 museums;
1 space of contemporary art;
3 theaters;
1 room of new musics;
2 cinemas (21 rooms);
5 libraries;
1 Exhibition site: 14000 m ² covered, Space Congress of 1000 m ² and Théâtre of Outdoor of 10000 places

Festivals and living rooms

Many festivals and living rooms take place in Colmar throughout the year, some of an international repute.

Principal festivals

International festival of Colmar (July), under the artistic director of Russian Vladimir Spivakov;
Jazz festival (September);
Festival of the Film " 7 Days for 7th Art" (October).

Principal living rooms

regional Living room formation employment (January);
Living room energy habitat (Mars);
Fair Eco-bio (May), 35.000 visitors in 2007;
Fair with the wines of Alsace (August), 370 exhibitors, ten concerts, 247.000 visitors in 2007;
Living room of the antique dealers (At the end of September - at the beginning of October);
Living room house decoration (October);
Living room of the book (November);
International fair of Tourism and the Voyages (November), 500 exhibitors of 40 countries and nearly 31.000 visitors.

Sports

Colmar handball club evolving/moving in Main road 3;
Joined together Sports Colmar;

the Hockey Club of Colmar is a French club of hockey. Called the Titans of Colmar, they evolve/move in Division 3 main road.

Each year in June takes place the arrival of greatest test of walk of the world: the Paris-Colmar with walk, is nearly five hundred kilometers to be traversed.

Principal covered installations

3 swimming pools;
1 skating rink;
22 gymnasia;
1 specialized room of gymnastics;
1 skate park;
2 walls of climbings;
2 rooms of judo (dojo);
4 rooms of musculation;
6 courts of tennis.

Principal installations of sport

1 nautical stage;
1 base of canoe kayak;
1 center of hippism;
1 cycle-racing track;
10 football fields;
2 grounds of Rugby;
1 ground of stunt bike;
1 skate park;
21 courts of tennis.

Economy

Electromechanical;
Component electronic S;
pharmaceutical Industry .

The industrial parks of Northern Colmar and Colmar Is by there including the airport occupy a surface of 382 ha.

The company Liebherr with 1676 paid (at the end of 2006) and Timken Europe with more than thousand paid, are the largest private employers of the city.

From here at 2012, approximately 1000 extra works will be born including nearly 500 for the only Liebherr company which decided the construction of a technopolis. It is one of the greatest industrial investment in the North-East of France of these last years.

Colmar is the seat of the Chamber of commerce and industry of Colmar and of Center-Alsace. It manages the marina of Colmar, the Rhenish port of Colmar Neuf-Brisach, the airport of Colmar-Houssen and various industrial and tertiary buildings.

Transport

Urban transport

The network of bus of the TRACE (Transport of Colmar and Surroundings) serves 18 communes to date (more than 100.000 inhabitants) and currently counts:

12 lines " semaine"
1 line " soirée"
3 lines " Sunday and fériés" days;

In 2006, more than 6 million travellers one borrowed.

It is one of the first networks of France has to have brought into service of the bus functioning at the natural gas (GNV).

About fifteen departmental lines of bus transit or one them origin/destination in Colmar.

The line n°1076 allows an access to Germany and the service road of the towns of Breisach and Freiburg-in-Brisgau.

Highway network

The highway has 35, also called rocard Is with height of the city has of 4 exchangers in the direction south-north (Colmar Centers, Colmar Semm, Ladhof and Rozenkranz) and 2 exchangers in the North-South direction (Southern Rozenkranz and Colmar). It connects the north of Alsace and Strasbourg to the south of the area (Mulhouse) and to Switzerland: approximately 40 minutes are enough to join Strasbourg, 30 minutes for Mulhouse, 40 Basle minutes in Switzerland and as much for Freiburg-in-Brisgau Germany.

With course term, the section between the exchanger of Rozenkranz and the commune of Ostheim located 15 kms at north will be put at the highway standards with a widening at 2x3 ways in order to accroîte the capacities of circulation and to avoid saturation at the rush hours.

The Western by-pass makes it possible as for it to sail round Colmar by north and the west thus avoiding all the transit of theheavy ones. On this axis, work of settings to 2x2 ways is in hand to flux the traffic.

Since the implementation of the new traffic organization to the downtown area with the autumn 2002,2 limiting by-passs henceforth to forward by the hyper-center. Each one circulates in opposite direction.

Railway network

The station of Colmar is located in full heart of the railway axis Strasbourg-Mulhouse-Basle (FOR THE THIRD TIME Alsace). It is served by regional trains every 30 minutes at the rush hours.

Since June 10th, 2007, the city is connected to high speed thanks to the startup of the line of TGV Is. 3 return tickets are currently programmed what makes it possible to join Paris in 2:50 only against more 4:30 before.

The line Colmar-Munster-Metzeral makes it possible to join the valley of Munster and the Vosges in all peace and a minimum of time.

A study is undertaken in this moment for reopening to the travellers of the line Colmar- Volgelsheim (close to Neuf-Brisach).

River system

The marina of Colmar is equipped with eight bridge allowing the accosting of 58 boats, all served individually out of water and electricity, of a harbor office to the multiple services: reception, medical with showers, linen room with washing machine and dryer, shop with upperworks and of a carpark enclosed for boats and cars. It is possible to rent boats at the half-day or the complete day.

The Rhenish Port Colmar/Neuf-Brisach with more than 70 barges and 500.000 tons of railway freight per annum, is the logistic platform " Water-iron-Route" from Center-Alsace.

Air traffic

The airport of Colmar-Houssen (code AITA: CMR, code ICAO: LFGA) is used for the aviation of business and sporting. The infrastructure is also exploited for medical transport urgently. By consequence, it is one of only the airport open to the air traffic 24:00 /24. The airport is composed of 2 tracks:

track 1

Dimensions: 1610 m X 30 m

Orientation: 01/19

Natural of the coating: bituminous mix

Assistances with the landing: THEY Cat. I

luminous Beaconing: HI - PAPI - Crawl of approach - Flash-lights

track 2

Dimensions: 1000 m X 100 m

Orientation: 01/19

Natural of the coating: bleaches on grass

2 international airports are located at less than 45 minutes (the Aéroport of Strasbourg Entzheim and the Euroairport of Basle-Mulhouse-Freiburg).

Teaching

Colmar has a vast choice of secondary schools:

College Berlioz (public)
College Molière (public)
College Pfeffel (public)
College Victor-Hugo (public)
College of the Institute of the Assumption (private under contract of association with the State)
College Saint-Andrew (private under contract of association with the State)
Private College Institution Midsummer's Day (private under contract)

General high school and Technologique Bartholdi (public)
College Blaise Pascal (public)
General high school and Technologique Saint-Andrew (private under contract of association with the State)
College Midsummer's Day (private under contract)
General-purpose College Martin Schongauer (public)
General high school and Technologique Camille Sée (public)

University

The IUT of Colmar accommodates more than 1500 students in its six departments:

legal careers;
biological genius option agronomy;
hygiene safety environment;
technical of marketing;
networks and telecommunications;
thermal genius and energy.

It exempts professional trainings of bac+2 and bac+3, as well scientist, commercial, legal as technological. Associating theory and practical, they lead to many trades with real prospects for evolution of career, by widening of competences.

Certain formations can be done by the way of the training. There exist also courses arranged for the high level sportsmen, student of the formation " techniques of commercialisation" , as well as a formation trinationale in the same die.

The international relations of the IUT of Colmar make it possible to carry out training courses abroad or continuations of studies in many countries: Germany, England, Ireland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Canada, etc….

the IUT of Colmar has also a very developed research activity: two competent laboratories are attached to the Institute: the CERDACC and the GRPHE; two other groups of research are in emergence: the GRTC and the équipe" biological depollution of the sols"

Located near the center town, the IUT of Colmar has new and modern equipment. It is integrated in an university campus into human size equipped with a restaurant, a college library, a service preventive medicine and a Service of Information and Orientation.

The Unit of Formation and Research PEPS (in the past University Department of Colmar - DUKE -) born in January 2000 is in full extension and account approximately 350 students.

It gathers a whole of professional trainings of 2nd and 3rd cycle in trade and agronomy.

It shelters the Research laboratory in Biology: the LVBE - Laboratory Vine Biotechnologies Environment.

Located on the university campus colmarien, the UFR has of buildings and equipment of quality of which a data-processing network, a restaurant and a college library.

Moreover, the university structures are served and connected between them by a line of bus.

Intercommunality

The Community of Agglomeration of Colmar

Created in 2003, the Communauté of agglomeration of Colmar is made up of 9 communes gathering 95.000 inhabitants:

Colmar;
Horbourg-Wihr;
Houssen;
Ingersheim;
Jebsheim;
Holy Cross in Plain;
Turckheim;
Wettolsheim;
Wintzenheim.

Managed by the Community Council composed of 46 Community advisers elected officials by the municipal councils of the common-members, the CAC is chaired by Mr. Gilbert Meyer, Maire of Colmar, assisted of 10 Vice-presidents.

Large Country of Colmar

It spreads on 1087 km ² Vosgean Mountain in the Rhine. It integrates 93 communes is 8 not gathered intercommunalities (1 the Community of Agglomeration, the 5 Communities of Communes and 2 SIVOM) and 9 common representing 191.220 inhabitants. Approximately half of its territory is covered by the Regional natural park of the Balloons of the Vosges.

Administration

Colmar is the Préfecture of Haut-Rhin and shelters the seat of the General advice of Haut-Rhin, in spite of its population much less important than that of Mulhouse It is the exception shared with Quimper (Brest), Saint-Lo (Cherbourg), Châlons-in-Champagne (Rheims) and Rouen (Le Havre). This exception is due to the fact that at the time of the choice of the chief towns of department at the time of the revolution, the town of Mulhouse was not French, but Swiss, and the choice was thus made on Colmar, then more the big city of the department.

Cantons of Colmar

Colmar is the chief town of two cantons:

the Canton of Colmar-North is made of part of Colmar (24 456 inhabitants);
the Canton of Colmar-South is made of part of Colmar and commune of Holy-Cross-in-Plain (42 801 inhabitants).

Mayors of Colmar

List of the mayors of Colmar

Native famous characters of Colmar

; Gaspard Isenmann : Gothic painter ; Martin Schongauer (about 1450 - 1491): illustrate painter and engraver of the proto-Rebirth. ; Frederic Auguste Bartholdi (1834 - 1904): artist sculptor, author in particular of the Statue of Freedom in New York and the Lion of Belfort ; Jean Rapp (1771 - 1821): general of Empire, which amongst other things illustrated during the defense of Alsace against the invader in 1815. ; Jean-Jacques Waltz, known as Hansi (1873 - 1951): illustrator and conservative of the Museum of Unterlinden ; Antoine Native Xavier (1733 - 1801): Brigadier under the French revolution ; Jean-François Reubell (1747 - 1807): in 1791 President of the National Assembly, member of the Directory of 1795 to 1799 ; Jean-Baptiste Lemire (1867 - 1945): Type-setter and Leader. It composed walk entitled: Colmar ; Camille Sée (1847 - 1919): author of a law on the secondary education young girls ; Andre Weber (1928 - 1996): actor ; Guy Roux (1938): trainer of football ; Rodolphe Burger (1957): musician ; Pascal Elbé (1967): actor ; Laetitia Bleger (1981): Miss France 2004 ; Franck Delay (1973): former member of the servant boys band 2Be3

Twinnings

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