Maison d'Ornano

The Maison d'Ornano is an imposing 18th-century patrician residence. This mansion was intended to accommodate the guests of the Lord of Villé, the Marquis de Choiseul-Meuse, who married Countess Julie de Zurlauben. After the fall of the monarchy, the house was bought by Frédéric Joseph Hirn, mayor of Villé and syndic. Frédéric Joseph Hirn's daughter Anne Barbe married Jean Baptiste Kemlin, a magistrate at the Colmar Court. One of the Kemlin daughters, Marie Joséphine Adèle, married Laurent Ebert, miller at Maltenmühle. One of the Ebert daughters, Adèle, married Philippe d'Ornano, descendant of a famous family of Italian origin.
Philippe d'Ornano was both a great hunter and a friend of animals. The estate's courtyard was home to wild boar, deer and even a monkey. The d'Ornano family had become very popular in the Villé valley. Son Edgar was neither industrious nor ambitious; he had mastered the art of growing roses, but became even more interested in absinthe. He died without heirs in 1907.
The house was subsequently owned by the Helffer, Bedicam and Fritsch families, who still enjoy returning to Villé, place du Marché. The Maison d'Ornano is a unique ensemble comprising a dwelling house, barn, stable, cellar and vast orchard. The building forms a solid mass of harmonious proportions, with curved lintel windows. The front door leads into a house that has retained its cosy atmosphere. Further north, a large doorway opens onto the agricultural section.
The Maison d'Ornano is a silent witness to almost two and a half centuries of Villé and valley history.