House of Heads

The House of Heads, in Colmar

The House of Heads is a sumptuous Renaissance building of Colmar, famous for the numerous sculpted heads that adorn its façade. The Colmar audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this spectacular residence, one of the most admired of the town.

The façade with a hundred faces

The House of Heads is one of the finest Renaissance buildings of Colmar. Built at the beginning of the seventeenth century for a wealthy merchant, it owes its name to the numerous sculpted heads and masks, about a hundred, that cover its worked façade, accompanied by an elegant oriel, a corbelled window over several floors. These faces with varied expressions, grimacing or smiling, make all the originality and the charm of the residence. The gable is crowned with a statue of a cooper, a work of the Colmar sculptor Auguste Bartholdi, in reference to the past of the building that sheltered the wine exchange. Today occupied by a hotel and a restaurant, the House of Heads remains a jewel of the heritage of Colmar.

What to see

You admire the sumptuous Renaissance façade covered with about a hundred sculpted heads and masks with varied expressions, its elegant oriel and its gable crowned with a statue of a cooper by Bartholdi. The House of Heads is one of the most admired of Colmar. It is a must-see stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The House of Heads lies in the heart of Colmar, reachable on foot. You mainly admire its façade from the street; the building today shelters a hotel and a restaurant, whose access follows its own conditions. You discover it during a walk in the centre.

Why does the House of Heads of Colmar bear this name?

Because of the about hundred sculpted heads and masks with varied expressions that cover its Renaissance façade; its gable is crowned with a statue of a cooper by Auguste Bartholdi.

Where is the House of Heads?

In the heart of Colmar, in France.