Although the name Kaysersberg sounds impressive, it is actually just a small village 10 kilometers from Colmar. Its beauty is evident from the title "The most beautiful villages in France" received in 2017. Voting is annual and live: 22 regions choose one of their villages to compete, and locals describe it and show their videos.

Kaysersberg lies in the valley of the Weiss River at the foot of the Vosges Mountains between two hills. A real mountain stream with rapids runs along one of Kaysersberg's streets, and "gingerbread" half-timbered houses cling to both sides of the stone embankment. The village is surrounded by vineyards, a path through which leads to the ruins of an old fortress. For several centuries, Kaysersberg was not only a city but even a part of the Décapole, the ten imperial cities of Alsace. However, it had to change its status from urban to rural: it hasn`t grown since the 13th century, and its population is less than 3 thousand people.

The Church of the Holy Cross is a Romanesque temple of the 13th-14th centuries, almost the last one in France before the advent of Gothic architecture. The size is not too big, but it looks impressive among the "dollhouses". It was built by Frederick Barbarossa, Emperor of Germany, which was then part of the Holy Roman Empire. However, it is said that Barbarossa did not have enough money to complete the construction (it is hard to believe), so he sold his wife's crown to complete it. When the Lord found out about this, he returned the crown to the queen, and send two angels with bags of money to Barbarossa so that he could finish the construction. This scene is depicted on the western portal of the church: Mary with a precious crown and two bags of coins. However, there was still not enough money, so the massive square bell tower was completed only in the 19th century. It is amazing how well the tower was stylized in the fashion of the 13th century. Inside the church, there is a carved wooden altar depicting scenes from the life of Christ, a large carved lime-tree composition "Lamentation of Christ", statues of the Virgin Mary and St. John, crucifixes, church utensils.