Former Hospital - Mediatheque

After the departure of the Franciscans from their monastery, the superior of the religious order in the province sold the buildings to the city of Colmar in 1543. The monastery was then converted into a hospital, but it was struck by lightning in 1735 and destroyed. The hospital was rebuilt between 1736 and 1744 with the stones of the city fortifications, which were destroyed in 1673. The building is a fine example of French architecture of the 18th century, in the balanced and sober style of the neo-classicism.

In the late 16th century, the west side of the buildings was reserved for the military hospital. The neighboring Saint-Matthews Church was then separated in two; one side was for the Protestant community of Colmar and the other side was used as a Catholic chapel for the hospital. The military hospital was moved to the Catherinettes in 1792. However the civil hospital remained in the same building until 1937, the year when the Pasteur hospital was built, west of the city. The buildings were a time occupied by two departments of the IUT of the University of Haute-Alsace, before being restored and refit/refurbish to become, in 2012, the media library of Colmar.