Ancient Gallo-Roman Villa Kirchheim

In the 7th century, Kirchheim was the site of a fortified palace, residence of the Merovingian kings. Dagobert II, Charles the Fat, and Saint Richarde stayed there. Excavations conducted between 1898 and 1900 by Plath located this palace between General de Gaulle Street and Moulin Street. The site covered a quadrilateral 100 meters long and 83 meters wide. Today, the remains are covered by modern buildings. A fresco discovered to the south of the site, at Place des Tilleuls, shows traces of red, green, and black polychromy. It depicts a grape harvesting scene, possibly the oldest known representation of this activity in Alsace during the Roman era.