In the Footsteps of the Marsouins

On site, you will find the trail under the following name: SUR LES PAS DES MARSOUINS

Discover a 13 km trail in the heart of the Sarreguemines Confluences, starting from the villages of Hilsprich and Holving.

This route takes you through the area where the “Marsouins’’ of the 41st Regiment of Colonial Infantry Machine Gunners were stationed and fought at the beginning of the Second World War. In these peaceful surroundings, it will take you on a tour of the small village of Hilsprich and its hamlets. On the way, moving along the cycle path towards the Hirbach pond, you'll pass the Castviller chapel surrounded by rural landscapes. Originally existing as a simple covered calvary, it was transformed into a chapel dedicated to the Blessed Virgin in 1815.

The walk then takes you to the water's edge, to the 46 acre Hirbach Pond. Partly located in the Hilsprich and Holving districts, it is one of the works of the aquatic Maginot Line, built before the Second World War to form a natural barrier against the enemy.

It is now a haven of peace, surrounded by a beautiful natural environment where the great Honnert oak, a tree of remarkable size (around 25 m), flourishes, a beautiful treasure of nature on the edge of the forest.

The route continues toward two other points of interest: the mysterious "Black Convent," located at the southern tip of the loop. Steeped in local legends, this mystical site is said to have once housed a convent. According to the legend, the nuns who lived there renounced their vows and fell into debauchery. As punishment, the Lord is said to have engulfed the convent, which became the infamous "Black Convent," buried along with its inhabitants. You won’t find any remains of the site today, but you might sense a special atmosphere there. Then, the Morsbronn Chapel, built in 1860, nestled on the edge of the Buchenhuebel forest and dedicated to Saint Anne, concludes this stage of the trail.

- Alternative route: There are several possible walks around the pond, including the shortest of 6.5 km 'Walk around the Hirbach pond' (Balade autour de l’étang de Hirbach), which runs entirely along the pond's banks. The distance is ideal for a nice family walk.

- Connections: at the southern end, at the "Le Couvent Noir" sign, to the "Colchicum and Marshes" (Colchiques et Marais - 11.3 km) trail in Val-de-Guéblange and at the "Les Abreuvoirs" sign, towards the "From the Farm to the Pastures" circuit (De la Ferme aux Pâturages - 10.8 km), a 3.2 km connection.

- Trail-Marking: yellow rectangle

- Geographical area: Along the ponds of the aquatic Maginot Line

- Starting points: Hilsprich > 20 rue de l'Église - Stadion / Holving > rue de Lorraine - Pond