Hôtel Gouverneur -- Obernai, Alsace, France -- 16th Century Building with a History
While visiting the interesting town of Obernai in Alsace, France (formerly Germany and The Rhineland), I entered a courtyard to study a plaque about leaving all your money to your kids. (It is on a clip on CUTECATFAITH here on YouTube.) Turns out this is a hotel! Rooms for 2010 are 55 to 80 euros per single per night, depending on the season. (March is the cheapest month in Alsace, which is why I was there -- besides wanting to investigate my Pennsy Dutch roots.)
The building went up in the 16th century, and in the 17th century, when Louis XIV took over this region, the house was used as a residence for a military governor. Later, some Royal prevosts and such lived here.
This region has gone from being the Rhineland to being French, to being German, to being French . . . it confuses me! Some of the beleaguered inhabitants became the Pennsylvania Dutch in the USA. There is a strong Jewish presence in Obernai with an active synagogue. The tragedy of what befell so many Jews here (and some Anabaptist Christians, such as, perhaps, some of my ancestors) goes way, way back. In Riquewihr, not far from here, the city needed money in the 15th century, so they taxed the Jews in their ghetto, and then killed them after they paid. The funds were used to refortify the town in 1500 (guns had come into use, so a double wall was needed). There's still a tower there in the ghetto called The Tower of Thieves, referring to this atrocity. Some remaining Jews endured a pogrom.
I saw one Jewish wine business there, however, proudly carrying on.
Obernai rates two stars in our travel guide and I loved it, but my spouse found it less interesting than say, Rouffach. Obernai is a great place to visit and the ramparts are still there, with charming houses along them. Worth staying at least one night in this hotel or another, I'd say.
copyright 2010 Lisa B. Falour all rights reserved cutecatfaith.com
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