GR®53 - Crossing the Vosges Mountains

Magnificent view of Wissembourg and its vineyards. In the middle of the latter stands the Château St. Paul, the last of the 4 castles built to protect the city.

A beautiful view of the Lauter valley. In the village Weiler stands the Langenberg, a former castle from the 13th century.

Decided by Marshal de Villars in 1706, they were intended to lock the north of Alsace during the war of succession to the Spanish throne (1701-1714). Thus, 50 redoubts and 28 dikes constituted a continuous parapet allowing the valley to be flooded. An important redoubt was named Maréchal de Bourg, the man who improved and increased the lines in the Scherhol area.

Shelter and refuge of the Club Vosgien at the Col du Pigeonnier

On the site of an old redoubt of the lines of the Lauter was built a telegraph station from 1795 to 1860, which was replaced by a pyramid of logs to carry out geodesic measurements in 1875 before being used as belvedere to admire the landscape . Replaced by a stone tower in 1895, it served as a watchtower during World War II before being destroyed by the Germans dynamite. It was never rebuilt. More info here.

Les Ütes de la Traversée du Massif des Vosges sont une invitation à la halte et à la découverte de paysages emblématiques des Vosges du Nord. A faire l’une après l’autre ou en suivant le rectangle rouge du GR®53 de Wissembourg à Saverne.

Site naturel d’escalade, il s’agit d’un rocher de grès à proximité du Château de Loewenstein, à 468 m d’altitude.

Au col du même nom.   Plus d'infos : www.refuges.info/point/2795/cabane-non-gardee/vosges-du-nord/abri-du-hichtenbach/

Comme son nom l'indique, ce rocher aurait servi un temps de repère à des Bohémiens. On y trouve les vestiges d'un petit château semi-troglodytique.

Existing since 1147, it was besieged by the city of Haguenau, the bishop of Strasbourg and Hannemann of Lichtenberg to dislodge knight-brigands by digging a gallery on the west side of the site. It was then partially dismantled. At the beginning of the 16th century, the Duke of Lorraine seized it twice. The castle was burned down before being abandoned in 1664. You can still see a section of the stone wall with bosses, a vestige of the keep. More information here.

Rocher du Vieux Windstein

Mentioned as early as 1205 near the Old Windstein, the dwelling was modified at the end of the Middle Ages to be adapted against artillery. After having served as a refuge during the Thirty Years' War, soldiers occupied it between 1652 and 1654 and used it to plunder the region. It was destroyed as a possession of the Eckbrecht family of Durkheim, who had fought against France in the Dutch War. Its defense is based on a shield wall, allowing it to dominate the valley on 3 sides.

Open shelter on the GR® 53 at 800 m north-east of the Liese pass (Club Vosgien chalet). - benches all around the small room on the ground floor; - space to sleep under the roof but difficult to access.

Castle Hohenfels is built on a peak, difficult access; the rocky bar was deeply cut on the north-east side; from the barnyard there remain only fragments of walls and a cistern; the western platform has preserved some vestiges, as well as a small room dug in the rock; the seigniorial dwelling, at the top of the east rock, has kept its north wall in freestone, on three levels

Rocher de Hohenfels

This monolithic block from the Celtic or Gallo-Roman period was damaged in 1935 and 1945. A dubious restoration was carried out in 1951: the block was covered with mortar bearing the effigy of an Egyptian goddess. According to the popular legend, sliding on this rock would allow women to be fertile or to make men fall under their charms that they desired. There are many other legends around this rock.

On the highest point of the Northern Vosges, the Club Vosgien, the oldest hiking association in France, decided in 1890 to build the highest tower in Alsace. A tower of 25 m and 110 steps is added to the existing 581 m and allows to admire a breathtaking panorama on the massif of the Northern Vosges and the Palatinate, the Lorraine plateau, the plain of Alsace and the Black Forest.

This rectangular enclosure, with walls 3m thick at the base, built with stones coming from nearby quarries, would date from the medieval period as the dating of fragments of tiles and pottery found on site would indicate. Historians think that it would be a fortified camp which could have been used in 1398 during the siege of Wasenbourg by the troops of the bishop of Strasbourg.

Typical geological formation of the erosion of sandstone, but which can also be the work of the human hand, they have the characteristic to be with pointed bottom instead of round or flat bottom. Almost always containing water, they are connected by small channels. Matthis believed that the altar stones, consisting of a table and a shallow cup, could have been sacrificial places.

Located on a sandstone peak at an altitude of 410 m, dating from around 1275, the castle, characterized by a 4 m thick shield wall, is strategically placed, right at the entrance to the Falkensteinbach valley. It was inhabited until the middle of the 17th century and was destroyed by the troops of Louis XIV in 1677. It is characterized by a large bay with 9 lancets, unique in Alsace, and by a frieze with a statue of a human head. It was classified as a historical monument in 1898.

Les Ütes de la Traversée du Massif des Vosges sont une invitation à la halte et à la découverte de paysages emblématiques des Vosges du Nord. A faire l’une après l’autre ou en suivant le rectangle rouge du GR®53 de Wissembourg à Saverne.

Direct neighbor of the Castle of Wasenbourg, this rock still carries the traces of an old sanctuary of the heights devoted to Mercury, the god the most represented in the Vosges of North, dating from the Roman time. The rock may also have served as an observation post to guard the entrance to the valley.

Located at the top of Wasenkoepfel, this 10 m tower dedicated to the Alsatian poet and ethnologist Auguste Stoeber was built in 1887 by the Club Vosgien. Unfortunately, in the course of time, the surrounding trees have grown, limiting the view to the canopy.

Etat moyen, pas de cheminée ni de barbecue (feu "interdit") ; Table et banc au RDC, possibilité de dormir à l'étage (l'échelle est accrochée sur le côté droit de la cabane); Isolation faible ; Point d'eau (source) près du col de l'Holdereck, prévoir un petit km de marche (suivre les panneaux à partir du col de l'Holdereck).   Plus d'infos : www.refuges.info/point/2833/cabane-non-gardee/vosges-du-nord/col-de-l-ungerthal/

Perched on a rocky ridge 110 m long and 6 to 38 m wide, it dates from the 11th century, although the site has been fortified since the 9th century. Destroyed by the troops of the Bishop of Metz, but rebuilt, it was gradually bought by the City of Strasbourg in 1480. Modernized in the 16th century to resist the emerging artillery, it was finally destroyed in 1676 by the troops of Joseph de Montclar.

Les Ütes de la Traversée du Massif des Vosges sont une invitation à la halte et à la découverte de paysages emblématiques des Vosges du Nord. A faire l’une après l’autre ou en suivant le rectangle rouge du GR®53 de Wissembourg à Saverne.

Les Haltes de la Traversée du Massif des Vosges sont une invitation à la halte et à la découverte de paysages emblématiques des Vosges du Nord. Implantées dans des endroits d’exceptions, elles offrent des espaces privilégiés pour découvrir les pépites du territoire. A faire l’une après l’autre ou en suivant le rectangle rouge du GR®53 de Wissembourg à Saverne.

Refuge abribus Bragigand de Wimmenau

Parfois au beau milieu d’une randonnée, nous avons envie de nous arrêter et de prendre le temps de regarder autour de nous, de profiter de cette ambiance si particulière, d’apercevoir la faune ou de contempler le relief qui s’étend au loin.  Chaque « fenêtre de paysage » est un assemblage astucieux de poutres en chêne issu des forêts locales qui permet tantôt de s’assoir, tantôt de regarder par les fenêtres.CIEL, à Wimmenau, invite à contempler cette partie du paysage, offerte par la large clairière du village.

Ce patrimoine récemment restauré date du XVIIIe siècle et fonctionnait par traction animale pour la production d’huile de colza et de noix. Il est inscrit aux monuments historiques depuis 1984 pour son mécanisme d’entraînement en bois ingénieux.

One of the most beautiful houses in Wimmenau is the Swiss Scherer house, built by Bernese who came to repopulate Alsace after the Thirty Years' War (1618-48). Built in the Renaissance style of the Bernese Oberland in 1669, it was transformed in 1718 and 1800. The Association for the Protection of the Heritage maintains it for 20 years and collects the objects of the rural life of the Northern Vosges. The house has been restored strictly respecting archaeological discoveries.

Refuge-abri des randonneurs de Wimmenau 

Ou « étable aux bœufs ». Les cavités de ce rocher sont cependant trop petites pour accueillir des bœufs. Cependant, on raconte qu’elles servaient d’abris aux vachers qui emmenaient leurs bêtes aux pâturages.

Parfois au beau milieu d’une randonnée, nous avons envie de nous arrêter et de prendre le temps de regarder autour de nous, de profiter de cette ambiance si particulière, d’apercevoir la faune ou de contempler le relief qui s’étend au loin.  Chaque « fenêtre de paysage » est un assemblage astucieux de poutres en chêne issu des forêts locales qui permet tantôt de s’assoir, tantôt de regarder par les fenêtres.BALANCELLE, à La Petite Pierre, comme son nom l’indique, offre une pause bercée sur la ligne de crête des Vosges du Nord.

Built in 1534 at the initiative of Palatine Count Louis V, its architecture, unique in Alsace, is as much civil as miliary. Built on a rocky promontory overlooking the forest, the site was occupied by a watchtower in the Gallo-Roman era, as evidenced by traces of foundations in the cellar. Considered a high vibratory place, it would mark the location of a Celtic place of worship.

In the place called Altenbourg is the Poets' Garden, the former garden of the village teachers. Open all year round and equipped with benches and picnic tables, this garden with its flowers and statues, including one by Serge Wittman, is an excellent viewpoint over the Staedtel.

Les Ütes de la Traversée du Massif des Vosges sont une invitation à la halte et à la découverte de paysages emblématiques des Vosges du Nord. A faire l’une après l’autre ou en suivant le rectangle rouge du GR®53 de Wissembourg à Saverne.

Oder Rabenfels. Dieser 13 m hohe und 12 m lange Felsen bildet den Rand des Altenburger Plateaus. Seine imposante Natur wird noch deutlicher, wenn man um ihn herumgeht.

Rocher d'Oberhof

Escarpement rocheux, le Rocher du Saut du Prince Charles est situé en contrebas de la route du Col de Saverne et doit son nom à la légende d'un Prince de Lorraine. Ce dernier, afin d'échapper à ses poursuivants, se serait lancé avec son cheval du haut du rocher. Les traces de sabot de sa monture sont inscrites dans la pierre à proximité de l'antique route du Col.

With its huge neoclassical facade, the castle recalls the glory of the Bishops Princes and testifies to the historic role of Saverne. If the construction of the castle, begun in 1779, was interrupted in 1789 because of the Revolution, it replaced from 1790 the old square castle. In ruins and threatened with demolition at the beginning of the 19th, it was finally restored by Napoleon III before being transformed into barracks after the war of 1870. It was acquired by the city of Saverne in 1952.

La licorne est l'emblème de la Ville de Saverne. Elle aurait été choisie par les Savernois pour sa pureté et son courage, qualités faisant de Saverne une ville imprenable. Selon une autre version, une licorne aurait trempée sa corne dans l’eau du “Badbrünne” (fontaine du bain) et lui aurait ainsi conférée des vertus curatives et thérapeutiques. De ce fait, nombreux pèlerins et personnages célèbres de passage à Saverne emportèrent de cette eau. 

This museum presents archaeological remains dating from the Gallo-Roman and medieval eras discovered in Saverne and nearby. It also includes a collection of art objects from different disciplines as well as the collections of journalist Louise Weiss. More info here.Musée du château des Rohan

The castle existed from the beginning of the 12th century and was enlarged over the years before being dismantled in 1649. The chapel, built between 1170 and 1180, escapes the dismantling and is restored. Between 1701 and 1801, new elements appeared, like a telegraph station, barracks, a house. The last two elements were destroyed in 1845 and 1918. In 1901, a hotel restaurant was built.

Located near the castle of Haut-Barr, this tower was once part of the telegraph line connecting Paris to Strasbourg from May 31, 1798, until 1852. It was rebuilt in 1968. Today is a museum.

Built in the 12th century by the lords of Géroldseck to protect their territories on a rock whose irregular shapes it follows, it combined housing and defense functions. Later it became a den of robbers and was besieged and destroyed in 1471. One can still see the square keep made of rusticated stones, the cellars of the large seigniorial dwelling and the barbican.

Proche du Hirschberg, ce rocher a été baptisé « rocher du Hibou », à cause de sa forme rappelant (ou non) le rapace nocturne.

In the 10th century, a castle was perched on this impressive sandstone rock. However, destroyed by the troops of Louis XIV, the rock remained bare for 150 years before a chapel was erected there in memory of Leo IX, Pope of the High Middle Ages born in Dabo. Destroyed in 1889, it was immediately rebuilt and an observation tower was added to its sides.