Turckheim

Turckheim
Entrance to Turckheim through the Porte de France
Coat of arms
Turckheim
Location within Grand Est region  Turckheim
Coordinates: 48°05′14″N 7°16′52″E / 48.0872°N 7.2811°E / 48.0872; 7.2811Coordinates: 48°05′14″N 7°16′52″E / 48.0872°N 7.2811°E / 48.0872; 7.2811
Country	France
Region	Grand Est
Department	Haut-Rhin
Arrondissement	Colmar-Ribeauvillé
Canton	Wintzenheim
Intercommunality	Colmar
Government
• Mayor (2001–2008)	Jean-Pierre Schaller
Area1	16.46 km2 (6.36 sq mi)
Population (2006)2	3,798
• Density	230/km2 (600/sq mi)
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
INSEE/Postal code	68230 / 68230
Elevation	219–840 m (719–2,756 ft) (avg. 240 m or 790 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. 2Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Imperial City of Turckheim
Reichsstadt Türkheim (de) Ville libre de Turckheim (fr)
Free Imperial City of the Holy Roman Empire
1312–1648
Coat of arms
Capital		Turckheim
Government		Republic
Historical era		Middle Ages
•	Gained Imp. immediacy	1312
•	Received city rights,     joined the Décapole	1354
•	Ceded to France	24 October 1648
•	Treaties of Nijmegen     end the Décapole	26 January 1679
Preceded by Succeeded by Duchy of Swabia Early modern France
Today part of		France

¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Coat of arms

Turckheim (Alsatian: Tercka ; German: Türkheim) is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. It lies west of Colmar, on the eastern slopes of the Vosges mountains.

Turckheim, located in Alsace, is a village known for its Gewürztraminer wines, traditional Alsatian cuisine, and stunning surrounding scenery.

Turckheim is probably most well known for its surrounding medieval wall. The wall has three doors, or portes: The Munster Door, which opens into the Munster Valley; The Door of the Brand, which begins the Route des Vins; and the Door of France, through which lies the railway station and the roads to Colmar. These three portals help distinguish the village from the majority of Alsatian towns by lending it a unique character.

Another attractive feature of Turckheim is the Night Watchman. The traditionally dressed Turckheim native, cloaked in black and carrying a halberd and lamp makes the rounds at 22.00 (10pm) each night from May to October. As he strolls the protected city, he sings a number of Alsatian favorites. The Watchman is often accompanied by a throng of tourists attempting to join in the songs. Some newcomers to the town have been surprised to have a seemingly tranquil early evening interrupted by a crowd of carolers led around by a Nightwatchman.