TRAVEL: by Eric Mackenzie Lamb
I recently made a visit to Colmar, a small city in southwestern France. Colmar’s old town has cobblestoned streets lined with half timbered medieval and renaissance buildings . The Gothic 13th century Eglise St Martin church stands on the central place of La Cathedral. The city is on the Alsace wine route, with local vineyards famous for Riesling and Gewurtzaminer wines.
Colmar was first mentioned in the 9th century and grew into an important medieval trading town within the Holy Roman Empire. In the 17th century, it was annexed by France under Louis XIV, though it retained its distinct German character due to its location, predominant language, and culture. The city shifted between French and German control multiple times before being permanently restored to France in 1945.
Known as the Little Venice, the city is famous for its canals, which are fed by the Rhine river. and attracts almost a million tourists each year who explore the city by guided boat
One of Colmar’s most famous people was Frederic Augusto Bartholdi , a sculptor who created what was to become the Statue of Liberty. It was gifted by France to celebrate American independence and abolition of slavery at the end of the US civil war. The statue arrived by sea in New York on July 17, 1885. The spikes on its crown represent each of the world’s seven continents.
(Ironically, President Trump argues that the statue should be bulldozed into the sea as a sign of contempt for France and other members of the European Union.
Frederic Augusto Bertolli, the creator of the Statue of Liberty.
