Ribeauvillé

Ribeauvillé (French pronunciation: ​[ʁibovije]; Alsatian: Rappschwihr; German: Rappoltsweiler) is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Alsace-Champagne-Ardenne-Lorraine in north-eastern France.

Its inhabitants are called Ribeauvillois.

Geography

The picturesque town is located around 10 miles (16 km) north of Colmar and 75 kilometres (47 mi)south of Strasbourg. It lies at the foot of the Vosges Mountains.

History

Known in the 8th century as Rathaldovilare, the town passed from the Bishops of Basel to the Lords of Rappoltstein, who were among the most famous nobles in Alsace. The Lord of Rappoltstein was the King or Protector of the wandering minstrels of the land, who purchased his protection by paying him a tax.

When the family became extinct in 1673, this office of "King of the Pipers" (Pfeiferkönig) passed to the Counts Palatine of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld. The minstrels had a pilgrimage chapel near Rappoltsweiler, dedicated to their patron saint, Maria von Dusenbach, and here they held an annual feast on 8 September. Ribeauvillé was commonly known as Rappoltsweiler until the 19th century.