About this place
The Quai de la Poissonnerie, the Fishmongers' Quay, was the medieval heart of Colmar's fishing trade. From the Middle Ages its tall timber houses belonged to the fishermen and boatmen who formed a powerful guild and held the monopoly on supplying the town with fish. They caught and kept their fish in the river Lauch right at the quay, and tradition says each house was painted to show its owner's trade, with blue marking a fishmonger's home. A great fire in 1706 destroyed more than forty of these buildings, so most of what stands today dates from the eighteenth century rebuilding. By the twentieth century the quarter had fallen into disrepair, and a careful restoration between 1978 and 1981 repaired its timber frames and gave Colmar back one of its most photographed streets.
Key facts
- 1706 year — A great fire swept through the fishmongers' district
- 1978 year — Major restoration of the quay's houses began, finishing in 1981
- 40 houses — More than this many were destroyed in the great fire
📍 Quai de la Poissonnerie 9, 68000, Colmar