RIQUEWIHR - DECLARED MOST FASCINATING VILLAGE OF WORLD - A IMPRESSIVE MEDIEVAL VILLAGE

◯ Home page of the RIQUEWIHR tourist-office : 📌 Location : RIQUEWIHR - France - Alsace Date recorded: June 2:30 PM Monday Weather: ⛅ 33 °C | 91 °F 🌡 ✉️ CONTACT : @ ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Switzerland Playlist: Italy Playlist: France Playlist: Monaco Playlist : Germany Playlist : Austria Playlist : Romania Playlist : Spain Playlist : ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ ▶ ︎SUBSCRIBE! (thank you!!) ▶ ︎If you like our videos, please support our efforts to keep creating travel content: ▶ ︎Do you want to become a “MEMBER“ and receive advance vlogs and exclusive posts? ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Created on the initiative of the Riquewihr club, the veteran football tournament of the Most Beautiful Villages of France was symbolically born in 1998, the year of the organization of the World Cup in France. Intended to strengthen ties between the inhabitants of the Most Beautiful Villages of France, this event has been going on for more than 20 years. Each year during the Ascension weekend, the challenge is immense for the organizing village and its football club since it involves welcoming nearly fifteen teams and their accompanying persons, i.e. in total nearly of 500 people! History of RIQUEWIHR Certainly already occupied by the Romans, the site was exploited in the 6th century by a Frankish owner named “Richo“. His name, associated with that of his domain, “Richovilla“, is at the origin of the name “Richovilare“, which has become “Riquewihr“ over the centuries. Unable to maintain his land on his own, he hired helpers who built houses and thus became the first inhabitants of Riquewihr. “Richovilare“, with the surrounding villages, belonged to the counts of Horbourg in the 12th century. The site of Riquewihr was then dominated by a fortified castle, the “Reichenstein“: subsequently became a haunt of brigand knights, this castle was destroyed in 1269 under the leadership of Rodolphe de Habsbourg who, a few years later, was raised to head of the Holy Roman Empire. With calm returned, Riquewihr experienced substantial demographic and economic growth thanks to the development of its vineyards. In order to protect men and property, the Count of Horbourg had the town surrounded by walls and ditches in 1291: from then on, Riquewihr was raised to the rank of town, enjoying a certain notoriety in the region. From this period, there remain important vestiges (the Reichenstein keep in the Sembach valley, the northern and western enclosure wall, etc.) and the emblematic witnesses that have become the first monuments of the city, the tower-belfry of Dolder and the Tower of Thieves. The family of Horbourg being on the point of extinction, their last descendants sold in 1324 their domain, county of Horbourg and seigniory of Riquewihr, to the counts of Württemberg who, towards the end of the century, allied themselves by marriage to the house of the Montbeliards. After the French Revolution, the Württembergs having been forced to abandon their possessions on the left bank of the Rhine, Riquewihr was definitively attached to France in 1796 by the Treaty of Paris. While several localities in the surroundings were completely destroyed during the last world war, Riquewihr, fortunately spared, was only very slightly damaged, despite the proximity of the front (December 1944 - February 1945, Pocket of Colmar). Regularly besieged, often in search of identity, still standing, the town of Riquewihr, classified as one of “the most beautiful villages in France“, has established itself over the centuries as a rare site, of exceptional historical richness and of unique geographical beauty, which, with its two million visitors a year, has earned it the undisputed and envied title of “Pearl of the Vineyard“. #riquewihr #france #alsace #travel #french #beautiful #medieval #frenchvillage #beautiful #village