Mulhouse, Alsace, France

📍Mulhouse, France The unique Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg Airport, or EuroAirport, opens the way to Alsace if you exit the gate in France. Mulhouse is the closest town to the airport, a small, untouched town that's all the more charming for it. A half-hour walk around the center and then stroll through the quieter neighborhoods further out. In the central square, it briefly seemed as if a tent had been stretched over the buildings, as we do when we need to cover up devastation, but it turned out that these ancient buildings were indeed painted like this. This is a reflection of its proximity to the borders of Germany and Switzerland, where it was popular to decorate facades with painted elements—columns, cornices, bas-reliefs. Mulhouse was heavily influenced by these regions and, as a Swiss city, even adopted this fashion. Facade paintings replaced sculptural decoration, which was more expensive. Interesting: ▪️The tradition of murals in Mulhouse hasn't been interrupted – today, artists continue to decorate the facades, and there's even a graffiti festival. The drawings blend seamlessly into the buildings; I was captivated for hours. ▪️ Three towers of the former fortress wall remain in the city, plus a new, tallest tower, the Elsa Tower, whose three sides symbolize the three neighboring countries. ▪️The oldest pharmacy in France, operating in a single building since 1649 (though, as usual, there was a fire). ▪️The tallest Protestant cathedral in France is also here. ▪️You can take the tram to other countries, including Germany and Switzerland. 👉It's ​​a unique town, it seems. You can just stop by 😉 And I also thought, it turns out that ancient buildings really can be preserved like this... #France #impressions