The Parisian Aunt

1. Leaving the nest at 13 or 14

As soon as they left primary school, young girls had to choose their future: stay in the village to help on the farm, start an apprenticeship… or leave. Those who dreamed of greater things, and whose families had some connections or the support of the priest, went to Paris.

But before that, there was a mandatory step: boarding school. In Marlenheim, Friedolsheim or Saverne, nuns prepared young girls for service: cooking, sewing, hygiene, discretion. Catholic and Protestant boarding schools produced “rare gems” who were highly sought after by bourgeois families in large cities.

1. Paris, a place of learning… and contrasts

Once they arrived in Paris, the young Alsatian women became nannies, cooks, laundresses, and sometimes even milliners. The luckiest ones worked in private mansions with large staffs and spent their summers at resorts in the mountains, spa towns, and on the French Riviera.

But most led a hard life. They slept under the eaves, in freezing, poorly insulated rooms accessed by a service staircase. Their comforts were basic: a table, a jug, a bed, a skylight. The toilets were shared. Their employers often forbade them from talking to employees in other apartments.

And yet they persevere. On Sunday afternoons, they head to the parish hall or visit a cousin, friend or godfather. This brief moment of freedom is precious in a week punctuated by schedules, chores and silence.

Anecdote: a Parisian aunt once recounted that her parents did not believe her when she explained that in Paris, you turned on the light “by turning a knob on the wall”… Electricity seemed like pure magic.

1. Ambassadors of modernity

When they returned home, often to get married, the Pariser Tantes did not come back empty-handed. They brought back recipes – wine sauce, ice cream, refined desserts – but also objects: sewing machines, fine linen, porcelain tableware. They passed on good taste, manners and a love of well-spoken French.

They were the first to encourage their parents to install electricity, then running water. They subscribed their daughters to women’s magazines. They never failed to renew their wardrobes at Easter and All Saints’ Day.

In short, they brought Paris into the homes of Kochersberg.

1. Lasting impressions in our villages

The role of the Pariser Tante extends beyond the domestic sphere. It was often they who encouraged their children to continue their studies and break with tradition. They showed that it was possible to live elsewhere, see other things, and come back stronger.

Their memory is sometimes still very much alive: in a yellowed postcard of a great Parisian monument, in an old recipe book, in a scent lingering on a scarf…

Anecdote: some Pariser Tantes were so appreciated by their employers that they were invited to their funerals, proof of a rare loyalty and respect.

1. A story to pass on

Today, at the Beau Jardin Tourist Office, we believe that these women’s stories deserve to be told. They are both a reminder and a driving force: a reminder of a time not so long ago when leaving one’s village was an adventure, and a driving force for transmitting a spirit of openness, courage and finesse.

And if you listen carefully in a village in Beau Jardin, you may still hear a grandmother whispering:

“My aunt saw the Opera, cooked profiteroles… and even met Mistinguett!”

La Pariser Tante will be the focus of the next exhibition on the ground floor of the Maison du Kochersberg in Truchtersheim, starting on 19 February. The exhibition on^{the first} floor, “From hops to the spirit of beer”, will open on Saturday 14 March 2026.

For more information: www.maisondukochersberg.alsace

💌 Do you also have a story about La Pariser Tante in your family? Come and tell us about it at the Office or write to us: we love these slices of life!

Source used

• Article La Pariser Tante by Marie-Claire BURGER – Kocherschbari No. 92 – Christmas 2025