To first time visitors, Barr can appear to be an austere town. This may be so in the winter but during the summer it's decked out with flowers and is one of the most attractive towns to be found in Alsace, complete with winding cobblestone streets that challenge motorists and enchant pedestrians.
Barr, a wine-growing village located near Strasbourg, is nestled up in the vineyard covered hills. The inhabitants of Barr are said to be hot tempered, their heady wine only serving to fan the flames of this trait. This is illustrated by the following story
French troops occupying Barr were withdrawing on 9 November 1678 when they learned that an officer had been killed by one of the townsmen, Andreas Fromm, to avenge the honor of his fiancée. In retaliation, the troops set fire to the town and hanged the guilty party on a street lamp.
But Fromm, being a good wine grower, carried a small pruning knife in his pocket and, taking advantage of the fact that the soldiers were in a hurry to leave the burning town, freed himself and hid in the Vosges Mountains until it was safe for him to return.
