Hercules, the half-God, on his way back from the garden of Hesperides, found himself in the region between the Vosges and the Rhine, that would later become Alsace. It was late, hot and he was thirsty. He decided to halt and drank local wine that was (already) good.

The informed visitor of Colmar knows that it is best to steer clear of the rue des Clefs at certain hours of the night. The street, by day a bustling shopping area (the Town Hall is also in the same street) at nightfall becomes the haunt of a terrifying calf, the famous Colmar Nachtkalb.