Maison Pfister (Pfister House), Colmar (must see)

Behind the Zum Kragen House at 11 Merchants Street (Rue des Marchands) is the Pfister House (Maison Pfister), often called "a real gem" from the Middle Ages. It is the most well-known house in Colmar. Built in 1537 for hatter Ludwig Scherer, it replaced a building sometimes called the "Red Rooster" or "the Black Hands."

From 1790 to 1830, it changed hands between haberdasher Charles Macker and merchant Francois Jean Pfister (hence its name today). Since 1892 it has been in the Judlin family of wholesalers who restored the Maison in 1909.

The Pfister House, made of Rouffach sandstone and wood, has a two-story corner bay window and turret. There are arched arcades on the ground floor and mullioned, triple-crossed windows on the other two stories. There are two attic levels. Underneath are curved stone Gothic ogives. On top of the oriel, which covers two floors, is a wood balustrade.

The house has a spiral staircase octagonal turret with a bulb crown. Paintings on the facade, credited to artist Christian Vacksterffer, depict Germanic emperors of the 16th century. Also represented are the escutcheons of Colmar and Haute-Alsace, the four Evangelists, the Western Church Fathers, and scenes from Genesis.