Unterlinden Museum and Isenheim Altarpiece

The Unterlinden Museum houses one of Europe's most emotionally devastating works of art: Matthias Grünewald's Isenheim Altarpiece, painted between 1512 and 1516. This isn't your typical religious art. The crucifixion panel shows Christ's body covered in thorns and lacerations, with figures below consumed by physical grief. The resurrection panel blazes with supernatural light that Herzog & de Meuron literally designed their 2015 building extension around. The altarpiece has three configurations that were rotated through the liturgical year, so you'll see multiple layers of panels.

You'll enter through the modern wing before reaching the altarpiece in its climate-controlled sanctum. Most people gasp when they first see the crucifixion, it's that visceral. The space stays quiet, almost reverent, even with crowds. After the altarpiece's intensity, the 13th-century Dominican cloister offers relief with its peaceful arches. The museum also holds works by Cranach and Holbein, plus Alsatian folk art, but honestly, you came here for Grünewald.

At EUR 13, it's expensive for what amounts to seeing one masterpiece, but that masterpiece justifies the trip to Colmar entirely. Skip the upper floors of regional artifacts unless you have extra time. The audio guide costs EUR 3 and helps with the altarpiece's complex iconography, though the visual impact needs no explanation. Plan 45 minutes minimum for the altarpiece alone.