Couronne d'Or (the "Golden Crown")
The Couronne d'Or ("Golden Crown" / vignoble de Strasbourg) is the name for the compact triangle of wine villages at the northern head of the Alsace Wine Route, ~20 km west of Strasbourg (source: mary-heritiage-alsace.md). Marlenheim is the official "Porte de la Route des Vins" (the gateway), with Kirchheim ~2 km south and Nordheim immediately adjacent — the three sit within a ~2–3 km cluster (source: mary-heritiage-alsace.md). The "Golden Crown" name traces to the Merovingian king Dagobert II, who by tradition established a royal palace at Kirchheim ("Chilcheim") in 674 (source: mary-heritiage-alsace.md).
This cluster is Mary's ancestral homeland: the Groh family of Marlenheim and the Wohlfrom family of Kirchheim, with Nordheim named alongside in the family records (source: Holley-family.pdf). See Groh / Wohlfromm Family of Marlenheim and Mary's Family History.
Getting around the cluster
The villages are trivially close by road but poorly linked to each other by transit (source: mary-heritiage-alsace.md):
- Marlenheim–Kirchheim ~2–3 km; Marlenheim–Nordheim adjacent; Marlenheim–Wasselonne ~5 km; Marlenheim–Molsheim ~13 km; Marlenheim–Strasbourg ~20 km.
- No village has a train station. Bus Fluo Grand Est line 230 (CTBR) links Strasbourg's Gare Routière des Halles to Marlenheim (~30–35 min); Kirchheim and Nordheim have only infrequent school/commuter buses.
- A partial rental car (2–3 days) is the practical way to visit the cemeteries, mairies and small wineries; pick it up in Strasbourg, Molsheim or Obernai.
Suggested corridor order (north → south): Strasbourg → Marlenheim (Steinklotz (Grand Cru, Marlenheim), Sainte-Richarde, northern cemetery, Le Cerf (Marlenheim), Mosbach/Fritsch) → Kirchheim (Wohlfrom village, mairie) → Nordheim (Stephansberg viewpoint) → Wasselonne/Hochfelden (Meteor) → Molsheim → Obernai → Barr → Sélestat (for Château du Haut-Koenigsbourg) → Colmar (source: mary-heritiage-alsace.md).
Related pages
