Maison Pfister Colmar: The House That Inspired Howl's Moving Castle
What does a 500-year-old merchant's house in France have in common with a Japanese animated fantasy film?
More than you might expect.
If you've watched Howl's Moving Castle, the 2004 Studio Ghibli film directed by Hayao Miyazaki, parts of Colmar may look surprisingly familiar. The town's old houses helped inspire the film's architecture, and one building in particular stands out: Maison Pfister.
With its projecting corner window, wooden gallery, painted walls and unusual roofline, this sixteenth-century house is recognisable in the animated town's streetscape.
But the real building has stories just as interesting as its fictional counterpart. It was built by a hatmaker whose wealth came from silver, decorated by another merchant who turned its walls into a display of religious and political ideas, and eventually named after a family that had nothing to do with its construction.
Here is the story of Maison Pfister in Colmar, and the details worth noticing when you visit.
Did Maison Pfister Inspire Howl's Moving Castle?
Imagine an animation studio in Japan creating a European town for a fantasy film. Where would its artists find the unusual houses, steep roofs, projecting windows and narrow streets that make such a setting believable?
One source of inspiration was Alsace, particularly Colmar and nearby Riquewihr.
Studio Ghibli drew on the region's traditional architecture for the setting of Howl's Moving Castle, directed by Hayao Miyazaki and released in Japan in 2004.
Colmar's tourism office specifically identifies Maison Pfister and the Koifhus, the town's historic customs house, among the buildings represented in Miyazaki's animated world.
For fans of the film, Maison Pfister offers an opportunity to compare a real historical building with a fantasy streetscape.
Look at the house's projecting corner, the long wooden gallery and the distinctive roofline. These features help explain why the architecture of Colmar was so suitable for the film.
The connection is particularly interesting because Maison Pfister was already almost 470 years old when the film was released.
A merchant's residence built in 1537 had found a new audience through Japanese animation.
There is one important distinction, however. Maison Pfister is connected to the architecture of the film's town, not specifically to Howl's magical moving castle itself.
And while Colmar's influence is documented, there is no need to assume that Miyazaki personally stood outside this particular building.
The real connection is remarkable enough without embellishment.
The Hatter Who Made His Fortune in Silver
The story of Maison Pfister begins with a man whose occupation is a little misleading.
His name was Ludwig Scherer, also known as Louis Scherer, and he was a hatmaker originally from Besançon.
A successful hat business might explain a comfortable house. But Scherer's wealth had another source: the silver trade.
During the sixteenth century, the Val de Lièpvre, a valley west of Colmar, was an important mining area. Silver from the region supported trade and created opportunities for merchants dealing in precious metals.
According to Colmar's tourism office, Scherer made his fortune through this silver trade.
In 1537, he used his wealth to commission an imposing residence on Rue des Marchands, one of Colmar's merchant streets.
Look at the position of the house.
It occupies a prominent corner, with a two-storey projecting window that immediately draws attention. Above it rises a wooden gallery, while an octagonal staircase turret gives the building its unmistakable silhouette.
This was not the kind of house designed to go unnoticed.
For a prosperous merchant, a richly decorated residence was a way of making success visible to neighbours, customers and other members of the town's commercial community.
Scherer had turned the profits of trade into something permanent: a building that announced his prosperity to everyone walking past.
There is a certain irony in that success. We still admire his house almost five centuries later, but most visitors know it by somebody else's name.
We'll come back to that.
The Merchant Who Turned Maison Pfister into a Painted Statement
Here's something that makes Maison Pfister even more unusual.
The man who paid for the house was not the man responsible for its famous painted façade.
Several decades after Scherer's construction, another merchant entered the story.
His name was Claus Sattmann, also identified as Nicolas Sattmann, and he traded in cloth.
Sattmann had the exterior decorated with an extraordinary collection of paintings.
Imagine commissioning artwork for your home, but instead of keeping it inside for your family and guests, you display it across the outside walls where anyone passing through the street can see it.
That is effectively what happened at Maison Pfister.
The paintings include German emperors, biblical scenes, figures associated with Christianity, and allegories of virtues such as Faith and Justice.
It is an unusual collection for the outside of a private residence.
But the decoration tells us something about the world in which Sattmann lived.
Why Put Emperors and Bible Stories on Your House?
In sixteenth-century Colmar, wealthy merchants were not simply concerned with making money. They could also take pride in education, religious learning and their position within the political world of the Holy Roman Empire.
The paintings on Maison Pfister bring these interests together.
The German emperors connect the building with the imperial system to which Colmar belonged.
The biblical scenes and Christian figures reflect the importance of religion and learning.
The allegories of Faith and Justice present values that would have been familiar to educated viewers.
The result is almost like an illustrated collection of the ideas its owner considered important, displayed in public.
Colmar's municipal heritage account describes the building's decoration as an expression of the humanist culture of the town's prosperous merchants.
In other words, the paintings were more than a way to make the house look expensive. They also allowed its owner to present an image of learning, status and cultural awareness.
The painted programme is generally associated with 1577, and the artist is thought to have been Christian Vacksterffer, although that attribution is not certain.
So when you look at Maison Pfister today, remember that you're seeing the ambitions of at least two different wealthy merchants.
Scherer gave Colmar the building. Sattmann helped give it the remarkable appearance that visitors now recognise.
Three Details to Look for on Maison Pfister's Façade
Maison Pfister is considered Colmar's first example of Renaissance architecture, even though it retains several medieval features.
You don't need to know architectural terminology to appreciate the combination.
There are three details particularly worth finding.
1. The Corner Window That Projects Over the Street
Start with the large window projecting from the corner of the house.
It is called an oriel, and at Maison Pfister it extends over two storeys.
This gave the people inside additional light and a view along the neighbouring streets.
But it also made the corner of the building its most striking feature.
Notice the sculpted stone beneath the projecting structure, which supports the floors above.
2. The Wooden Gallery Above the Window
Now raise your eyes to the wooden gallery with its balustrade.
This architectural feature recalls older building traditions in Alsace.
Its open appearance contrasts with the heavier stone structure below, giving the upper part of Maison Pfister its distinctive character.
The combination of wood, stone and projecting architectural features helps explain why the house looks both medieval and Renaissance.
3. The Octagonal Staircase Turret
Finally, look for the tall turret rising alongside the building.
It has eight sides and contains a staircase connecting the floors.
Its unusual shape and roofline add to the character of the building.
Together, the turret, gallery and corner oriel form the distinctive outline that connects Maison Pfister with the animated streets of Howl's Moving Castle.
Before moving on, take another look at the painted walls. The house combines architectural features from different traditions with artwork added during a later generation.
What appears to be one unified historic building is actually the result of several different owners leaving their mark.
Allegorical Figures: Faith and Justice
The painted programme also contains allegorical figures, including Faith and Justice.
An allegory is a figure used to represent an idea or virtue.
Faith was an important religious virtue, while Justice represented an ideal of proper conduct and fair judgment.
Such figures were common in Renaissance art, when artists used classical and Christian symbols to communicate moral ideas.
Their presence on Maison Pfister reflects the intellectual tastes of a prosperous merchant household.
Why Is It Called Maison Pfister If a Man Named Scherer Built It?
There is one final twist in the story.
The house was commissioned by Ludwig Scherer in 1537, and its famous painted decoration was associated with Claus Sattmann later that century.
Yet neither man's name appears in the name visitors use today.
That honour went to the Pfister family, who owned and occupied the house between 1841 and 1892.
The family restored the property and became so closely associated with it that their name eventually replaced the identities of its earlier owners in everyday use.
This is how one of Colmar's most celebrated buildings came to be known as Maison Pfister.
A house built with money from silver trading, decorated by a cloth merchant and recognised through a Japanese animated film is remembered by the name of a nineteenth-century family.
Its history is a reminder that buildings rarely have just one story.
Where Is Maison Pfister, and Can You Visit It?
Address: 11 Rue des Marchands, 68000 Colmar, France.
Maison Pfister stands in Colmar's historic centre, close to Saint Martin's Collegiate Church and the Bartholdi Museum.
The property is privately owned, and the historic upper floors are not generally open for sightseeing.
You can, however, admire the famous exterior free of charge from the public street.
For the best view, stand where you can see the corner oriel, wooden gallery and turret together. Then examine the paintings above the ground-floor arches.
The façade and roof were restored in 2012, helping preserve the features that have made this building one of Colmar's best-known landmarks.
Discover More Stories on a Self-Guided Walking Tour of Colmar
Maison Pfister is only one of Colmar's buildings with an unexpected history.
A short walk through the old town takes you past the Koifhus, where merchants once paid customs duties, and the House of Heads, whose façade is covered in unusual sculpted faces. Little Venice tells another side of the town's story, when the riverside was home to working communities rather than simply a picturesque place to take photographs.
If you enjoy discovering the stories behind what you see, Tourific offers a self-guided audio walking tour of Colmar.
The tour brings together Maison Pfister and other historic landmarks, allowing you to hear their stories on your smartphone as you walk through the old town.
You can follow the route at your own pace and use it offline after downloading it.
Frequently Asked Questions About Maison Pfister
When was Maison Pfister built?
Maison Pfister was built in 1537 for Ludwig Scherer, a wealthy hatmaker and merchant involved in the silver trade.
Why is Maison Pfister famous?
It is considered Colmar's first example of Renaissance architecture and is known for its two-storey corner oriel, wooden gallery, octagonal staircase turret and painted façade.
Why is it called Maison Pfister?
The house is named after the Pfister family, who occupied and restored the property between 1841 and 1892. They were not the original owners.
What do the paintings on Maison Pfister show?
The façade includes biblical scenes, German emperors, the Four Evangelists, Church Fathers and allegorical figures. The paintings reflect the religious and political culture of sixteenth-century Colmar.
Can you go inside Maison Pfister?
The historic house is privately owned and is not generally open for interior sightseeing. Visitors can admire its exterior from Rue des Marchands.
Is Maison Pfister free to see?
Yes. You can see and photograph its historic façade from the public street without an admission ticket.
Where is Maison Pfister located?
Maison Pfister stands at 11 Rue des Marchands in Colmar's old town, near Saint Martin's Collegiate Church.
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