Towns and villages to visit

Oltingue was the most populated of the 33 villages of the seigneury of Ferrette before the Thirty Years' War. The village has kept the imprint of the old terraced cultivation which gave pride of place to the vines favored by a dry climate attributed to the situation of the village, at the foot of a hill, in the blind spot of atmospheric currents. The Ill crosses the town with many sites to discover. 

To see :

-  The Peasant Museum of Oltingue : created in the 70s, it presents, in a half-timbered peasant house, the collections assembled by Father Etienne Bilger (1901-1980) and enables us to understand how the Sundgauvians lived before the rapid development of the countryside in the XXth century.

 - The church of Saint-Martin-des-Champs : former mother church of three villages, listed as a Historic Monument and dating from the fourteenth^e century, it contains tombs of the VII^e century and VIII^e century highlights and frescoes prior to 1350 depicting characters from the Old Testament and saints.

- Saint Martin's church : Built in 1824 by the bailiff of Ferrette, who found the Saint-Martin-des-Champs church too small and above all too far away, it contains a Callinet organ classified as a Historic Monument in 1973. Magnificent interior furniture is also to be discovered.

- The Saint-Brice Chapel : attested in 1361, partially rebuilt in 1669, it is located, isolated, 3 km north-east of the village of Oltingue in a clearing. Formerly Saint-Brice was a famous place of pilgrimage, appearing in 1576 on the map of Alsace under the name of Saint-Brixi. In 1567 a hermitage stood near the chapel, now replaced by a farmhouse which attracts many tourists in fine weather.

 

 - Lth big trees trail from the parking lot of the St Brice chapel 

The village of Winkel is above all known for sheltering the source of the Ill, the backbone of Alsace, which, after a journey of 217 km, flows into the Rhine north of Strasbourg.

The village backs onto the Glaserberg massif at an altitude of 575m and benefits from a rich and unspoiled natural setting. In winter, two snowshoe routes and Nordic routes are signposted.

 

To have :

- Saint Laurent church the 18^e century which contains two Baroque side altars classified Historical Monuments from the former abbey of Lucelle.

- the source of the Ill

- the Warth chapel : small sanctuary partly carved into the rock, erected at 14^e century and linked to the tragic end of knight Rudolph de Warth

 

To do

- the path of the Moroccans : route to discover the works of the Maginaux line built before 1939. Download the topographical guide.

- the Alley of Beeches : made up of an alignment to be remarkable. A 6 km circuit with a 160m vertical drop and a 2 hour walk from the Charrière car park is signposted.

- Lsnowshoe circuits and Isignposted Nordic ski routes.

A small town nestled at the foot of its castle, the town of the powerful counts of Ferrette is nestled on the first foothills of the Alsatian Jura ... This town with a prestigious past will charm you with its narrow and romantic paths which lead to the haughty ruins of the Ferrette castle and the mysterious Dwarf Cave where a famous legend is told.

Everything in this town goes back to the history of the Counts of Ferrette who founded the most powerful lordship reigning in a quasi-sovereign state for almost two centuries in the Middle Ages. Today, Prince Albert II of Monaco still bears the title of Count of Ferrette due to the marriage of his ancestor Grimaldi in 1777 with the heiress of the Mazarins.

Come and discover this charming little town, his castle, its Re-Naissance museum space, its listed church and town hall, its Tourist Office, its numerous hiking trails without forgetting its Dwarven Cave hidden at the foot of an impressive limestone gorge.

To do :

- Ferrette walking tour, the castle and the Cave of the Dwarfs : 4,5 km / 2 hours. Topoguide to download here

- Discovery tour of the old town and the castle : count 1:30 to 2 hours and plan to wear good shoes.

- Visit of the castle: 45 / 60min. Pedestrian access 15 min from the parking lot of the Tourist Office. To be well shod. Walking guide to discover the castles from the Alsatian Jura: € 3

- Guided tour of the town and the castle, on demand.

- Re-Birth Museum Space

- Access to the Rossberg panoramic tower : 30/45 min round trip from the parking lot of the Ferrette motorhome area. Possibility of making a larger loop from Ferrette or Vieux Ferrette.

- For families, a fun ride is offered via the "Track and Treasure"on smartphone. 

Typical Sundgauvian village, which has just added to its long list of distinctions the Prize of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries and the Interprofessional Office of Fruits, Vegetables and Horticulture

Hirtzbach is proud of its four flowers, awarded at national and European level for the quality of its flowering. It is a village where it is indisputably good to live.

Following the course of the stream (the Hirschbach), we discover beautiful half-timbered houses, as well as an alley of hundred-year-old lime trees. As you walk through Charles de Reinach Park, you can admire the last Sundgau glacier, wonderful vegetation and the Reinach Castle.

The Sainte-Afre chapel and the parish church are full of artistic and architectural remains including a painting by Gutzwiller, a fresco by Limido (in the church) and a pietà from the XXth century (in the chapel).

Do not miss the 1st weekend of August: the feast of Nature, a big street party organized over two days which enlivens the whole village and attracts every summer some 10 people to Hirtzbach: exhibitions, craft stands, street entertainment, folk music and fireworks round off the festivities.

The flowery village of Friesen, in the Vallée de la Largue, has preserved around fifty half-timbered buildings, the construction of which spanned from 1497 to 1878: corbelled houses, traditional farms, fountains, monobloc farms, short timber houses, forges… put on a show.

A guide, available at the Tourist Office, offers you an easy walk through preserved and richly flowered streets to discover this unique heritage, including the oldest half-timbered house known in Alsace.

The skilful geometry of the traditional sundgauvian half-timbered house, the result of a construction technique developed over five centuries by the corporation of carpenters, is revealed there. The old farm buildings, adapted to modern life, have retained all their old-world charm and the geraniums put the finishing touches on the picture.

Consult the flyer here.

The city is home to Sundgauvien Museum and Rhine Center for Contemporary Art to discover all year round.

The Priory of Saint Morand, Notre-Dame Church, the old city walls and its other medieval remains reflect the cultural and architectural diversity that can be observed there. As many guided tours for groups and individuals are available on request. You will also find at the Tourist Office a tourist map to discover the city for yourself. 

Modern city with an original spirit, strong of a dynamic commercial fabric, grouped within the association Altkirch Traditions awarded with two golden signs, it also organizes many and varied cultural events such as: the Enchanted Forest in December, the Music Festival, and street performances in summer, concerts and many other shows carried by energetic local associations.

Free guided tours of the city are organized every summer and you can also discover Altkirch and its surroundings through short hikes. 

A street art circuit allows you to discover the city differently! Brochure available at the Tourist Office.

 

Market days :

Thursday morning : from 7 a.m. to 13 p.m., large market throughout the city center

Saturday morning : from 7 a.m. to 12 p.m., small farmers' market, place Xavier Jourdain

The Ste Catherine Fair : the last Thursday of November, big fair in the whole city

Crossing this village, parallel to the course of the Ill, allows you to discover a unique architectural ensemble dating mainly from the XNUMXth and XNUMXth centuries.

Grentzingen is a very beautiful flowered village awarded with a label of three flowers. We advise you to stroll through the streets of the village to admire these half-timbered houses, well renovated, of various ages and techniques, starting with the main street of the railway to the rue de Willer which surrounds the church. , without forgetting the rue de Ruederbach.

For a short period from 1798 to 1804, the neighboring villages of Grentzingen and Ruederbach had at least five carpenters. Their constructions were conceived in the spirit of the rural architecture of the XXth century, with autonomous framework for each level of dwelling and wood arranged symmetrically. The half-timbered house was traditionally considered to be movable property, because it was pegged, therefore removable and reassembled at another location.

Between the hills of the Vosges and the first foothills of the Jura, in the Belfort gap, there is a village nestled on the slopes of a hill in the Largue valley.
Dannemarie chief town of canton, plays a driving role and shines on the Porte d'Alsace with its dynamic trade and its multiple services to the population.

To see in the town:

- The Haute-Alsace Memorial

- Saint-Léonard church and its Joseph Callinet organ, listed as a historical monument

- The viaducts

Close to:

- The nautical relay and the canal bridge in Wolfersdorf