Saint Nicholas Church

Before his departure for the Third Crusade in 1189, Frederick Barbarossa had a hospice built outside the walls of Haguenau to welcome pilgrims, the poor, and the sick. A parish quickly developed around this site, leading to the construction of a first church, later replaced by a larger building. Unlike many churches of the time, this one does not follow a cruciform plan. Enlarged in 1424, it gained a neo-Gothic sacristy in 1846. Damaged during the war, its tower and bell were destroyed. Restoration beginning in 1965 revealed the purity of the original Gothic lines. The contemporary stained glass windows, created between 1961 and 1965 by Arthur Schouler, add a modern touch to the whole. At the right side entrance, a remarkable Holy Sepulchre dating from 1350-1360 draws attention. In the nave and choir, an exceptional collection of furniture and woodwork from the Neubourg Abbey, destroyed during the Revolution, was reinstalled in the 19th century: organs, pulpit, stalls, and statues of the Church Fathers.