Mittelwihr, nicknamed "the south of Alsace", boasts a mircoclimate that supports numerous almond trees. Every year, for a few weeks at a time, the Mandelberg hill is decked out in a mantle of spring flowers. This area has been the cradle of civilization since the early centuries of our era. Proof of this is the fragment of a Roman altar dedicated to Jupiter currently on display at Colmar's Musée Unterlinden. Its appearance was altered by a bombardment in December 1944, during the fighting known as the "Colmar pocket". Its almost total destruction irreversibly altered its landscape. Only the lower parts of the church's medieval bell tower, a few arcades and some houses were spared.