Cave Historique des Hospices de Strasbourg

Useful Information

Location:	1 place de l’Hôpital, 67000 Strasbourg. (48.5768047, 7.7484171)
Open:	All year Mon-Fri 8:30-12, 13:30-17:30, Sat 9-12:30. [2026]
Fee:	free, Audioguide EUR 5. [2026]
Classification:	Cellar
Light:	Electric Light
Dimension:	Ar=1,200 m².
Guided tours:	D=30 min. Audioguide Alsatian
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	yes, elevator
Bibliography:
Address:	Cave Historique des Hospices de Strasbourg, 1 place de l’Hôpital, 67091 Strasbourg Cedex, Tel: +33-3-88-11-64-50.
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1393-1395	hospital and cellars built.
1716	a fire ravages the hospital, but spares the cellar, the bakery and the chapel.
1929	listed as a historical monument.
1997	thirty Alsatian wine producers join forces to save the cellar.

Description

Cave Historique des Hospices de Strasbourg (Historic Wine Cellar of the Strasbourg Hospice) is a wine cellar which was used for 600 years to store and mature wine. It was a part of the food self-sufficiency of this charitable institution, giving this hospital some autarky. While it was a hospital it was also a religious institution and offered shelter and board to pilgrims and poors. This was probably even more important than the medical aid. It was financed by donations and various legacies of people who were anxious to ensure the salvation of their soul. In other words the donations were made in the hope go to heaven after ones death. Also, the people which were healed in the hospital often donated agricultural land or other property, which increased the property assets of the hospital continually. And so the hospital soon owned numerous vineyards, because this is the main produce of the Alsace.

The cellars were mainly used for maturing wine in huge wooden casks. The grapes were pressed and then the grape juice filled into the casks. The cellars and casks contain the right microorganisms from former years and then the juice transforms into wine, as the microorganisms feed on the sugar and produce alcohol and carbon dioxide. Of course, part of the cellar was also used to store other food, like potatoes and onions. This was a typical Medieval system, based on food self-sufficiency. This tradition lived on for a long time, but in the mid 20th century it faded away. The old medieval hospice had been transformed gradually into a modern hospital, and the management was not interested in wine growing. Actually some may have despised producing alcohol.

In 1995 a wine cooperative was established, named Société d’Intérêt Collectif Agricole (SICA), which was the cooperative of some thirty Alsatian wine estates who joined forces to save the cellar. In partnership with the Strasbourg Civil Hospital, they not only renovated the cellar but also aged a selection of Alsatian wines from the vineyards of the members. These wines are representative of their grape variety, terroir, and appellation, exclusively Alsace Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) or Alsace Grand Cru. The Alsatian grape varieties inckude Riesling, Sylvaner, Muscat, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Klevener de Heiligenstein, Gewürztraminer, and Pinot Noir. This was the preparation for the 600th anniversary, and the wines were selected for high quality and are now sold with a lable showing the Hospitallers' Cross. Since then the wines from the historic cellar are quite famous.

The cellars are a high quality winery, and less a tourist site. Like any shop there is no entrance fee, and it’s possible to visit the cellars self-guided and for free. If you are interested in some background info you may rent an audioguide for a small fee. It is available in numerous languages including Alsatian, which is actually not a language, it is the local dialect. However, it is a form of German known as Alemannic which is spoken in three countries, in the German-speaking Switzerland, in the southwestern corner of Germany, the area of the black forest, and of course the Alsace in France. There are also guided tours for groups after appointment. While visits are possible during open hours, as well as buying wine, wine tastings are offered only on open house days.