The lifting of confinement gives the opportunity to rediscover Alsace step by step, in a new light, that of its rich railway heritage. Walk along downgraded tracks, be moved by astonishing vestiges, embark on adorable little steam trains ... You will meet there pioneers of the iron industry like the De Dietrich family or the manufacturer of Nicolas Koechlin locomotives. The opportunity also to embrace superb panoramas, to appreciate the regional nature reserves and the fortifications.
In Alsace, the discovery of the pleasure of walking is intimately linked to the arrival of the steam horse recalls the Vosges Club, a venerable institution in terms of hiking. The first railways led the people of Strasbourg to explore the neighboring Vosges mountains, to walk from one line to another, from valley to valley. The 100% local magazine En Vadrouille Alsace , freshly released on newsstands, offers 25 beautifully illustrated family hikes in the region and neighboring territories. A wealth of cultural and historical information! The strolls from 6 to 21 km offer the choice of taking a train line to return on foot, walking on old routes, discovering exceptional viaducts, bridges and tunnels, etc. Le Figaro exclusively offers three hikes accessible within a radius of 100 km around Strasbourg. By car !
Reichshoffen, at the roots of an industrial dynasty
The Villa Le Riesack was erected in 1912 by the De Dietrich family. Sophie Dupressoir / En Vadrouille Alsace
A superb hike to discover the Alsatian roots of the De Dietrich industrial empire. From Reichshoffen train station, 50 kilometers north of Strasbourg, you will board a Régiolis train bound for the spa town of Niederbronn-les-Bains. You have just, without noticing it, put your first foot in this family saga. Because this latest generation train came directly from the neighboring Alstom factory, sold twenty-five years ago by De Dietrich. You are now in the heart of the Vosges du Nord regional natural park. From the town hall, a paved road leads to Villa Le Riesack. Camped at an altitude of 300 m, this proud mansion was erected in 1912 by the De Dietrich family. The hike then leads through the forest to the spectacular vestiges of the Jaegerthal forge at the origins of this industrial dynasty. Acquired in 1684 by Jean Dietrich, it has been continuously operated for almost two centuries. In the distance, the panorama extends to the castle and its vast park which shelters the family archive background. All that remains is to return to Reichshoffen via the lake and the pretty chapel of Wolfartshoffen, the only vestige of a 13th century village that has disappeared today.
Distance: 18 km - Duration: approx. 6 hours - Marking: yellow ring, blue rectangle, red rectangle with white bars, green disc, blue rectangle with white bars.
Cumulative elevation gain: 370 m.
The legendary Roches trail
The Roches trail offers superb panoramas of the alpine landscapes of the Munster valley. Julie Giorgi / En Vadrouille Alsace
Walk in the footsteps of an old tram to reach the most legendary of Alsace's trails; the path of the Rocks. The journey begins in Stosswhir, in the Haut-Rhin, about twenty kilometers from Colmar. The “tramway trail” signs guide you through the forest on the steepest slopes of the route between Munster and the Schlucht pass. A rack made it possible to cross gradients up to 22% to reach the Altenberg, a former luxury hotel. Illustrious clients, from the British Prime Minister to the Crown Prince of Prussia, stayed there from 1896. Become a sanatorium, now disused, it could draw a new youth thanks to a promoter.
The walk continues to the Schlucht pass through a Mecca of Vosges botany, the Frankenthal-Missheim nature reserve. The entrance to the Roches trail opens opposite the old Le Relais des Roches hotel-restaurant. Partly dug with dynamite, inaugurated in 1910, it runs along the side of cliffs in a landscape of scree, waterfalls, rocks. The panoramas of the alpine landscapes of the Munster valley are breathtaking. The descent continues along the Stolz-Ablass waterfalls. Ideally done in dry weather, armed with good hiking boots.
Distance: 12.5 km - Duration: approx. 5 hours - Signposting: tramway trail marker, red rectangle with white bars, blue rectangle, red rectangle, blue rectangle, blue triangle, yellow disc.
Cumulative elevation gain: 880 m.
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The unfinished viaduct of Urbès
The three arches covered with Vosges sandstone bear the memory of an unfinished railway line. Léa Jacta / En Vadrouille Alsace
Head for a spectacular unfinished railway viaduct. Its three arches encamped in the middle of wild grass mark the valley of Saint-Amarin, 30 km from Mulhouse. This vestige of a line never used, is the highlight of the hike that begins at the foot of the church of Urbès. Let yourself be carried away by this "nature" route which begins by overlooking a millenary bog, the See d'Urbès. Formed following the melting of a glacier, its ecosystem is exceptional. The path then takes height to start towards the Huselberg. Silence is essential in front of the increasingly clear panoramas which are offered on the valley. After crossing a high coniferous forest, the path clears to lead to the village of Storckensohn. Perhaps you will feel the urge to discover the old oil mill which revives thanks to an associative dynamic.
The excavation site of the rail tunnel under the Vosges comes to life a little further before your eyes thanks to an interpretation trail. Drilled over almost 4,500 m between 1932 and 1935, transformed into an armaments factory by the Germans, it is today an enormous reservoir of water watering the valley. 4 kilometers from Urbès, we will not fail to make a detour to the Parc de Wesserling-Écomusée textile. This ancient industrial city shines in a green setting of 42 hectares, with castle, gardens, villas, farm.
Distance: 16 km - Duration: approx. 5 hours - Marking: blue triangle, red disc, red disc.
Cumulative elevation gain: 550 m.
Find out more
In Vadrouille Alsace n ° 4 "Walk with the train and the tram". In Alsace Mop
In Vadrouille Alsace n ° 4 "Walk with the train and the tram", 25 hikes (130 pages). Available in newsstands in Alsace and neighboring regions (€ 7.90) or on order (€ 12 including shipping) from redaction.envadrouille@gmail.com.
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