They're a charming feature of Alsatian villages, whether pink, blue, yellow or white. But hundreds of half-timbered houses are disappearing every year in Alsace, where local authorities are trying to halt the decline with subsidies. In the small village of Uttwiller, 40 kilometres north of Strasbourg, an oak farmhouse is regaining its old charm: its owners decided to renovate this Alsatian house, hoping to benefit from a recently created conservation fund. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES