Salle corps du garde - Colmar

On the present site stood the Chapel of St. James, first mentioned in 1286. In 1308 part of the churchyard was removed and the chapel became an ossuary. It was finally abolished in 1533, after the Imperial edict forbidding cemeteries in cities. The arches of this former chapel can still be seen in the rear wall of the guardhouse.

The guardhouse was built in 15753 (master builder Beier Melchior). The loggia, built between 1577 and 1582, was used by the magistrate to take oaths and pronounce sentences.

Before it was used as a guardhouse, the building was used as a town hall.

The passage to Rue des Marchands was used as a market for nuts and oilseeds.

A narrow passage (formerly called Kragengässlein) between this building and the adjacent house connects Domplein with Koopmansstraat.

The facades, roofs, staircase and rooms on the first floor that make up the formerly decorated great hall have been listed as historical monuments since 5 July 19586.

The former crypt ossuary has been classified as a historic monument since December 12, 19916.

Willem Vandenameele