Steinbach Haus Visitors Center
One of Castroville's gems is the Das Haus Aus Elsass (the House from Alsace). The Steinbach Haus was originally built by the Steinbach family between 1618 and 1648 in Wahlbach, County of Sundgau, Alsace, France. The Steinbach Haus was shipped to Castroville in 1998 as a gift from the citizens of Alsace, France to "shelter the tourist's information center" and "perhaps a historical research center on the immigration and the tourist promotion of Alsace". Reassembled and restored, it sits at the gateway to Castroville's historic district.
Castroville’s downtown, designated a National Historic District, retains much of the architectural appearance as it did when the town was laid out in the 1840s. Numerous stucco houses and buildings still stand here, a reminder of the German-speaking Alsatians who settled the town.
You can take a self-guided walking tour of Castroville that showcases more than 50 sites, including historic homes, churches, shops, and even two traditional meat markets. This includes the Steinbach Haus, which in 1998 was moved from Wahlberg, a town in French Alsace, to Castroville. The 1845 home of the town’s founder, Henri Castro is included on the tour.