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Discover the Top Alsatian villages next to Colmar
- February 27, 2023
- To See
If you’re planning a trip to Colmar, you might want to take a day or two to explore some of the top... Read More
Colmar’s Petite Venise: The Must-See Canal District
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by Ralph Ward
- February 25, 2023
- To See
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The picturesque city of Colmar boasts several tourist attractions, but the most famous and celebrated of all is the Petite Venise. The Petite Venise of Colmar is a delightful canal district that is rich in history, culture, and beauty. It is a place that you simply cannot miss when visiting Colmar. https://www.barques-colmar.fr/en/
The Petite Venise of Colmar is a historic district that dates back to the Middle Ages. It was built in the 14th century when Colmar was a thriving center of commerce and trade. The district was originally built to accommodate the many merchants and traders who came to Colmar to buy and sell goods. The canals were used to transport goods to and from the district, and the buildings were constructed in the typical Alsatian style.
River Lauch is a 42-kilometer-long river that starts in the picturesque Lauch Lake, nestled in the mountains, and ends in the serene Ill in Colmar. The river is named after the humble leek, which in Alsacian is known as “lauch.”
As the story goes, there were many gardening producers in the area, and one of them was particularly greedy. He loaded his boat with an abundance of leeks, causing it to sink, and all the leeks ended up in the river. And so, the river came to be known as the Lauch.
In the past, the river was home to an abundance of fish, such as salmon and trout. Sadly, today, there is only one type of fish, the brass, which has too many bones to be consumed.
The river has played an essential role in the region’s history. Gardening producers would flock here in the past to sell their fresh produce in the covered market. This covered market was then used as a car park for a while but it wasn’t a good fit for the tradition, so a new covered market was opened in 2010. https://www.marche-couvert-colmar.fr/
