Colmar, France is a charming town, the capital of the Alsace wine region. Colmar, a typically Alsatian town, is located on the Lauch river, with the Logelbach canal flowing through it. It is one of the most beautiful and romantic European towns we have visited! The town was founded in the 9th century and was granted the status of a free imperial city of the Holy Roman Empire in 1226. During the Thirty Years' War, the city was taken by the armies of Sweden in 1632, who held it for two years. The city was united with France in 1697. With the rest of Alsace, Colmar was ceded to Germany in 1871 as a result of the Franco-Prussian War. It was returned to France after World War I, along with the rest of Alsace. Colmar is 40 miles (64 kilometers) south-southwest of Strasbourg, on the Lauch River. It is connected to the Rhine River by a canal. Colmar was the home town of sculptor Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi (best known for the Statue of Liberty), and contains a museum dedicated to a number of his works. Colmar has a sunny climate and is the driest city in France, making it ideal for Alsatian wine.