Maison Pfister and the Koïfhus corner

The Maison Pfister, built in 1537 on the Rue Mercière, is the house every architectural photograph of Colmar comes back to: a two-storey painted frieze running the length of the front, an octagonal corner turret carried on a stone column, a long wooden gallery under the eaves and a spiral stair tower behind. Fifty metres away the Koïfhus, the old customs house with its glazed-tile roof, closes the square.

This is the frame for detail rather than sweep. Stand back across the street and the whole facade sits behind a couple; move in and the painted panels, the turret and the gallery railings give texture at any focal length. The corner where Rue Mercière opens toward the Koïfhus lets you get both buildings and a run of cobbles into one composition.

The street is narrow and runs roughly north-south, so direct sun reaches the facade only for part of the day and everything else is soft bounced light — good for portraits and forgiving at midday. Late afternoon lights the upper gallery and the turret while the street stays shaded, which is the most flattering combination. Overcast works fine because the painted panels carry the colour.

Practical: Rue Mercière is a busy pedestrian shopping street from mid-morning, so early is the only time you get clean ground in front of the house. The Maison Pfister is privately occupied — it is a facade to photograph from the street, not a place to enter. Cobbles here are uneven, and in December the market stalls change the whole streetscape.