2026-05-21 Route du Vin (Sigolsheim & Kientzheim)

Thursday, May 21, 2026

Once more along the Route du Vin, this time starting at Sigolsheim and then looking for interesting towns along the way.

Sigolsheim was the site of some serious WWII action when the French and Americans fought on December 26-27, 1944 to liberate the town of Sigolsheim from the Nazi army. Today, there is a memorial at the knoll of the hill where the battle was fought and further up the hill is a French National military cemetery. Remains of French soldiers who fought in the Colmar Pocket were gathered from common graves and interned individually in this new cemetery, inaugurated in 1965, the 20th anniversary of these battles. Similarly, Arab soldiers who fought alongside the French in these battles were commemorated with gravestones.

WWII Memorial at Sigolsheim battlefield

looking up toward the French National Cemetery

Christian casualties

North African casualties were Muslim

The views today are magnificent, looking out over the Alsatian plain now covered in vines and villages. But the WWII view must have been quite terrifying.  Hitler's army, embarrassed by their retreat across France, found a stronghold along the Vosges from Basel to Selestat. Entrenched in the top of these hills, the Germans had easy targets as Allied soldiers were exposed on the open Alsatian plain. Called the "Pocket of Colmar" fierce battles in late 1944 and early 1945 were joined in order to clear the Germans out of this last stronghold west of the Rhine River. 

looking out from the Memorial

looking out from the cemetery

looking out from the cemetery

On the road again, headed west  toward Kaysersburg, our ultimate destination. Kientzheim is the next village to Segolsheim, only 3 km to the west. We decided to stop there for lunch and a quick look around, but....well...this is a really cool town.

We found a lovely picnic table next to where we parked, across the street from a vineyard, and outside one of the city gates.

Judy, Mad, Ron, Lynn, Chris enjoying our picnic lunch

vineyard across the street from our picnic table

After lunch, we decided to explore outside the ramparts where we could see the former moat now used for gardens and barbecues. 

We found the main gate to the village (Porte Lalli) with the carved head that was meant to scare away any attackers. We entered anyway. Charming streets and squares invited us to look and linger. And we did.

Porte du Lalli

Lalli???

Place Schwendl

We found the Chapelle St Félix et St Régule

Chapelle St Félix & St Régule

...and this lively fountain

fountain on Place du Lt Dutilh

...and the fire museum in the town hall.

In the town hall

old fire equipment

The parish church, Notre Dame des Sept Douleurs, (Our Lady of 7 Sorrows)  was open and inviting. Elements from the 13th to 18th century gave a patina of age to this church.

Notre Dame des Sept Douleurs

Tombstones from the Middle Ages in the parish church of Lazarus von Schwendi (died in 1583) and his son. There are many Schwendi monuments in this area, so the guy must have been pretty wealthy and well-known

This is how the mail is delivered in Kientzheim

By now, we've run out of time, so Dave pointed the car towards home. Kaysersburg will have to wait for another day.  We're home in time to enjoy a beautiful sunset.

Sunset reflected in Dave's sunglasses

Sunset in Logelheim