Riquewihr is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.
A popular tourist attraction for its historical architecture, Riquewihr is also known for the Riesling and other great wines produced in the village. Riquewihr looks today more or less as it did in the 16th century. It is officially one of the most beautiful villages in France, or Les plus beaux villages de France.
Riquewihr was one of the few towns in the area not to be badly damaged during World War II. This village really does seem to have everything that you hope to find in a traditional Alsace village: fortified walls, stone entrance gates, cobbled streets lined with brightly painted half-timber houses, carved wooden beams and stone doorways, wrought iron signs for the shops, lots of flowers....Riquewihr almost looks as if it has just dropped out of a fairytale.
Among the other historical monuments in Riquewihr you can see the Dolder Tower, prominently depicted on the stamp and the cover- this tower is also the upper gate of the town and the belfry and part of the original fortifications of the town. The view from the top of the Dolder Tower looking along Rue du General de Gaulle is a favourite viewing spot for tourists in the town. The fountain in front of the Dolder tower was originally used to check the capacity of wine barrels hence its name, the fountain of gauging.
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