Maison Adolph, Medieval monument in Place de la Cathédrale, Colmar, France
Maison Adolph is a Gothic-style house on Place de la Cathédrale featuring ornamental bay windows, carved stone details, and a timber-framed gable that extends above the third story. The structure displays the typical vertical lines and decorative stonework common to medieval residential architecture of the period.
Dendrochronological analysis places the house's construction around 1350, and it is documented from 1371. Its name comes from the Adolph family, ribbon merchants from Kogenheim who bought it in 1824; the city council acquired it in 1921 for restoration. The Gothic windows were uncovered in the mid-19th century, and the facades and roofs were inscribed as monuments historiques on 13 June 1929.
The Gothic elements of this house echo designs seen in the cathedral next door, showing how religious architecture shaped the look of homes in the area. Walking past, you notice how its stone details and windows create a language of style shared across the neighborhood.
Maison Adolph stands at 16, place de la Cathédrale, facing the cathedral's bays across the square; the Ancien corps de garde is next door. Only the exterior is on view, so look up at the first-floor twin-lancet bays and the second-floor triple arcade. The 1592 well with two lion heads stands at the foot of the house.
A decorated well from 1592 with two lion heads adorning its top sits beside the house after being moved here from nearby Merchants Street. This well reveals how the city preserved important objects during periods of street reorganization and building change.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 94,107 contributors worldwide.