The Kochersberg is the corner of Alsace where I live: it is an area locatedwest of Strasbourg. It’s nice, you can get there in 15/20 minutes from Strasbourg but it’s not a very well known place for tourists. It must be said that the Kochersberg has tended until now not to put itself forward too much, its inhabitants applying the adage “to live happily, let us live hidden”.
With the recent creation of the Kochersberg Tourist Office, things are changing and the region is now ready to welcome visitors looking forlocal and authentic experiences. Here, there are no huge Christmas markets taking place all month long and no mulled wine flowing: the Christmas animations are mostly initiatives of the locals, who dedicate some of their time to make the magic of Christmas live in the Kochersberg.
If you want to experience the Christmas markets as the Alsatians do, the Kochersberg can be an excellent option… And to guide you, here are my favorites!
The Christmas Farms – Christmas Market in Quatzenheim
The Christmas market of Quatzenheim is the market taking place in my village. You’re going to tell me that I’m not objective when I say it’s worth it, but I assure you it is! Every year, this small Christmas market taking place in the courtyards of the beautiful farms of the village is organized by volunteers and welcomes visitors for one evening only… The atmosphere is magical and truly traditional. There are lots of nice animations: Christmas songs, Santa Claus coming in a carriage… without forgetting the fires installed here and there around which it is good to warm up. For more information, I invite you to read the complete article I dedicated to it.
Christmas at the Eskapade in Truchtersheim
TheEsKapade in Truchtersheim is the building that houses the tourist office, the Maison Kochersberg and an artist’s studio. At Christmas time, the EsKapade offers, in addition to its permanent exhibition (where you can admire an Alsatian interior as well as costumes and headdresses), a temporary exhibition. In 2017, the exhibition “Alsace Provence, Christmas with two voices” allows you to discover the traditions of the two regions. Very nice, I learned some things and enjoyed visiting it!
The EsKapade esplanade also hosts a few chalets offering Christmas-themed products. It’s hard to talk about a real Christmas market because it’s really small, but it’s worth a visit when you come out of the EsKapade: the stands are qualitative.
Store L’atelier de Régine in Fessenheim-le-Bas
Régine has set up her magnificent boutique
L’Atelier de Régine
in one of the parts of her Alsatian farm. There are some very nice gift ideas: ceramics, clothing, jewelry, decorative objects… There is plenty to choose from! And we know that we will offer a 100% handcrafted and local gift since everything that is proposed has been carefully chosen by Régine and comes from local creators. Great, isn’t it?
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