A 380-metre-long sandy beach and a 1,000-square-metre water park give Houssen a clear focus on water activities. The town also has a long church history and historical connections dating back to the Middle Ages. This means a stay can cater to different interests: the facilities at the Base Nautique de Colmar-Houssen and Houssen’s cultural history.
Water attractions at the Base Nautique
The Base Nautique de Colmar-Houssen is located within the municipal boundaries of Colmar and Houssen. It lies on the eastern side of a former gravel pit operated by HOLCIM Granulat, where a sandy beach was created. The beach is 380 metres long, with 250 metres designated as a supervised swimming area. The site also includes a 1,000-square-metre water park with diving platforms, trampolines, climbing walls and slides.
A permanent orienteering course is also available free of charge to users of the Base. Access is subject to the facility’s opening conditions. This offers a choice between water activities and exercise on land. As seasonal operations may change, check the current opening conditions before your visit.
Saint-Maurice Church and the history of Houssen
In the archives of Colmar, Houssen appears under the name “Manus Husen” in a register of the possessions of Pairis Abbey dated 1176. Houssen was originally a fief of the Holy Roman Empire belonging to Pflixbourg Castle. From 1350 until the French Revolution, the Ribeaupierre family held Houssen as a pledge. These milestones give the town’s history a long timeline, while Saint-Maurice Church remains a tangible point of reference.
St. Maurice has been the patron saint of Houssen’s church since the Middle Ages. The present church was built between 1862 and 1868 and fully restored in 1997 after damage sustained during the Second World War. Houssen was more than 60 percent destroyed during the Second World War. The town was also at a focal point of the fighting for the Colmar Pocket. The church building, its post-war restoration and the town’s earlier history of lordship show different sides of the local past.
Getting there and local events
Houssen is served by bus line B of the TRACE network. Route designations and service patterns may change, so check the current timetable before travelling.
The FĂŞte Paysanne is also part of the local events calendar. The 45th edition was planned for 2024; it included meals at the farms of local farming families. If you want to plan a trip around an event, check the current date for your intended year of travel in advance.
When looking for hotels in Houssen, your reason for travelling can be a starting point for comparison: are the water attractions at the Base Nautique your main priority, or would you rather focus on Saint-Maurice Church and the town’s historical connections? These are different options for your stay, not automatically a set itinerary.
Discover more destinations: Sierentz, Bollwiller, Luttenbach-près-Munster, Oberhergheim, Ammerschwihr, Rixheim, Soultzeren, Rappoltsweiler.
For the regional travel overview: Haut-Rhin.
