Place to see: Murbach Abbey, Guebwiller, France

About this place:

Murbach Abbey (Abbaye de Murbach) is located in the foothills of the Voges, below the Grand Ballon, in southern Alsace, a few kilometers outside the small town of Guebwiller.

Founded in 727AD it features a beautiful church (Saint Legere), one of the earliest vaulted Romanesque structures, but sadly it isn't complete anymore - during the French Revolution the church's nave and many of the other buidings of the monastery were destroyed.

The outer walls of the still standing choir are adorned with intriguing figures, for example a noble (?) confessing to the abbot while the weight of his sins is shown by the devil already pulling the noose teight around his neck-

The monastery was one of the most important centers of learning in the Upper Rhine valley.