Walking Reichackerkopf,1915 battleground

[Dragon]

A look back to the way the mountain were left after the war. These photographs are taken from my original copy of Guide illustré Michelin des Champs de Bataille – l’Alsace et les Combats du Vosges 1914 – 1918, Volume II – Metzeral - le Linge – la Chipote, published 1920.

I apologise for the artefacts, but I've had to enlarge the images to make them worth seeing online.

This is a view of the French front. The slope descends to the right, towards the valley of the river Fecht at Metzeral.

This is the summit of Reichackerkopf. You can make out the northern slopes, which descend towards Stosswihr and Soultzeren. (This will fit in with my next photos.)

Out of interest: in the area of le Linge, the forests were replanted in the 1930s.

[Dragon]

I intend to post modern views. At the end of the war, the villages of Stosswihr and Soultzeren were rubble. These villages were known to the Germans as Stossweier and Sultzern. Since the Occupation of 1871, place names were changed to German throughout Alsace and Lorraine - the state of reichsland Elsaß-Lothringen was established. I use French names and sometimes have to consult a dictionary of the place-name translations to sort out the locations.

If you're in the area, I thoroughly recommend the Mémorial Alsace-Moselle - web - near Schirmeck, which is an absolutely wonderful museum and exhibition about how this unfortunate area was occupied from 1871 till the end of the Great War and again in World War Two. The building is remarkable, too.

The main road is going up to Col de la Schlucht, which could also be reached by tram from Gérardmer and Munster. A couple of weeks ago I spotted a postcard in Chalet le Collet, near Xonrupt, showing the German use of the existing tramline to convey their supplies.

Modern photos to come.

[Dragon]

Now. Late afternoon sun.

This is taken from the track up from Munster to the Col du Sattel, as recommended to the visitors in 1920; the views are stunning.

[Dragon]

Egbert's walk on Barrenkopf showed the view from a large bunker across to Reichackerkopf. (Images here, post #70 onwards.)

This is a long lens photo taken from Reichackerkopf looking across to that same bunker.

The hamlet on the adjacent hill (to the upper right of the picture) is Hohrodberg. You can walk from here up across no-man's-land to the summit of Barrrenkopf.

[tim_oz]

Dragon

Wonderful photos thanks for sharing them.

Tim B

[egbert]

The last two panoramas are stunning and I think this is a complementary picture from 1915 with Kebburgstellung in the distance crawling up to Kleinkopf where I have taken the pictures across the valley to the point where Gwyn now took the 2 panoramas (northern slope of Reichackerkopf)

[cockney tone]

Gwyn,

been away for a few days (Waterloo Battlefield trip!) so only just discovered your wonderful thread. I had hoped to visit this area myself earlier this year but dates clashed so I missed out on it. However your photos are excellent and show me what a treat I missed! Another 'must see' for my list!

Thank you for posting the maps as well, really useful to plot where it all is.

Regards and best wishes,

Scottie.

Egbert,

thanks for your valuable input as well,

Regards,

Scottie.

[Dragon]

Egbert has asked me to include photos to show where I took the view across to Barrenkopf.

This is his panorama, and I've arrowed the part of the forest on Reichackerkopf where I was standing. (Original)

This is my own photo, taken early one morning in May 2009, from Hohrodberg. Again I've arrowed my standpoint.

If you can imagine a track leading round the mountainside: coming up from the left (from Munster) behind the white farm is the route the original battlefield pilgrims were advised to travel; it continues upwards round the mountain climbing into a valley and up eventually towards the white building. The walk I did starts up there.

The picture seems to have artefacted, sorry. It must be the effects of repeatedly processing a .jpeg for Flickr and then linking to the forum.

[egbert]

Nice orientation across the valley from Kleinkopf to Reichackerkopf and vice versa. I'd like to show the Reichackerkopf trenches as of 1915 again (as done in the Schratzmännele thread) from the Kleinkopf standpoint, looking over to Gwyn's photo standpoint

Noteworthy: the picture from post #81 (Kebburgstellung as seen from opposite Reichackerkopf, is just underneath the downward slope in this picture- it is hidden by the steep decline downwards to the valley floor and the village of Stoßweier which is also in the "hidden" by the slope

[Dragon]

Aftermath:

Two postcards from my collection. To be accurate, they are in the area of le Linge, Schraztmännele and Barrenkopf / Kleinkopf, covered in Egbert's thread, but I felt they would also be fitting here as we approach the time of Remembrance. (I will add 'now' photos.)

The French military cemetery at col du Wettstein, postcard dated 1923:

The German military cemetery about 1.5 km away:

Gwyn

[Dragon]

The same German cemetery in December, 2008:

The same French cemetery in May, 2009:

Both beautifully maintained and charged with atmosphere.

[Martin Bennitt]

How did I miss these great pictures last month? Brilliant, Gwyn. Strengthens my intention to go back before too long.

thanks and cheers Martin B

[Dragon]

Thank you, Martin.

[john kemp]

I have just picked up this thread and am lost for words.

This is an area we have been talking about for about 5 years to visit but having drove down to Verdun and not really enjoying it this went off our radar being further still.

Thanks to your efforts in sharing this with us I will have this as one of my trips next year.

Due to the terrain, I presume it is advisable to visit from May onwards?

Thanks again for some great shots!

[Dragon]

Thank you very much, John. Do go; you won't be disappointed.

I'll give your question some thought and get back to you.

May is a beautiful time to go. You can expect to see miniature daffoldils and anemones in the upper fields, enjoy long days with pleasant temperatures, and....

.... snow.

This was taken in May 2009 at the top of the Ballon d'Alsace, where there are still visible trenches.

I also made a thread about the Vosges in winter.

Have you seen Egbert's threads about Tête des Faux and Barenkopf / Schratzmännele? (Egbert uses the German place names, so his Buchenkopf is my Tête des Faux.)

Schratzmännele and Tête des Faux.

I am, actually, working on a website of the Vosges and Alsace, which I love. I hope it'll be live after Christmas.

Gwyn

[john kemp]

Great news and thanks for pointing me towards the other thread, May 2010 it will be and looking at the scenery I think her indoors may even be interested.

I estimate about six hour drive from calais.

Look forward to the website.

Thanks again.

[mandy hall]

Hi Gwyn

Interested to hear you are working on a website of the Vosages. I have followed both your thread and Egbert's with interest and have learnt alot.

Looking forward to the website

Mandy Hall

[Ice Tiger]

Gwyn

I have no idea how I managed to miss this fantastic thread, an area I know so little about but have wanted to visit for a while.

Thanks so much for posting your wonderful photos with such good descriptions! I can see i will ahve to start planning my visit for next year soon.

Can't wait to see your website when you release it

Andy

[Dragon]

Due to the terrain, I presume it is advisable to visit from May onwards?

It's a mountainous region and therefore will have the sort of variations in weather you would expect in mountains. There's the potential for low cloud at any time of year and fog in the autumn / winter months.

May and June would be lovely, with day length in your favour. The angle of the sun's rays makes a difference. While the temperatures may not actually be very hot, the nearer July and August you are, the intensity of the sun can make it seem extremely hot. When I took these photos in September, I got quite dehydrated when walking in exposed parts in full sun; I didn't take enough water with me.

September is nice, too. The chance of fog increases later in September. October is lovely for its colours in the wine growing area.

If you want to visit Alsace, which is gorgeous, it can get very hot in the wine growing region. I have been in Strasbourg in temperatures of over 32°. This might be fine for some people, but for me it's too hot to enjoy walking round. The nice thing about Alsace is that you can always go up into the mountains for weather which is a few degrees cooler; and if you're in the Vosges and the weather isn't very nice, you can go down into the wine area or to Strasbourg. The Black Forest and Freiburg is less than an hour away from the foothills of the Vosges.

December always carries the risk of snow - I know, I've been snowed up there. I've also been in Strasbourg in minus 27° (including wind chill). It's so cold that you think your skin is going to peel off like a surgical glove and blow across Europe. But the light in the mountains can be fabulous. The festivities in Alsace and the Vosges in the approach to Christmas are very pretty. February is, well, February. The vines are just bare walking sticks in the soil.

Hope this gives you some ideas. I would say go with some flexibility in your day-to-day plans if possible.

Six hours seems right. If I were going straight to the Vosges, I'd come off the motorway near Reims, go round Nancy (also definitely worth a visit - wonderful art deco architecture), Baccarat, St-Dié and approach the mountains that way.

Gwyn

[Dragon]

Thanks, Mandy and Andy.

[john kemp]

Thanks Gwyn,

May it is then, what a lovely wedding anniversery present for my wife!

[IanA]

May I add my thanks to Gwyn for this remarkable photo montage. I, too, recommend the area and would add that it is especially suitable for dragging along spouses and/or children who may not be interested in the Great War. There are shopping opportunities in Colmar and Strasburg, great swimming in the lakes, scary luge runs on the Schlucht, incredibly smelly cheese to buy in Munster, beautiful villages to amble round on the Route du Vin (buying quantities of the wonderful Alsace wines as you go), silver mines to descend and many other truly memorable things to do. A magical place.

[Dragon]

Thank you, Ian and for the endorsement from your own experience. I've never been down the silver mines, because I hate confined spaces. I've heard that the museum is good. I haven't done the luge either, but I have photos of the French and German border patrols there before the war, and the tram that went up from Munster over to Gérardmer. (A scary journey, methinks.).

We buy Munster at farms. I know exactly which farm I like to go to (near Orbey and Basse-Huttes) and can recommend. It's good to see the workforce in the fields or indoors - Vosgienne cows have an attractive dark grey and white colour - and the cheeses stacked in cool rooms, and the sort I like is a bit less pungent than some. (Farms will often vacuum wrap it for you if it's travelling a long way in a car.) Barkass / Bergkäse is also nice, rather like a tomme.

In fact, I'm cooking some Munster now!

A lovely wedding anniversary indeed! If you enjoy wine, you could mark it with some crémant d'Alsace. The best is as good as some champagnes.

[IanA]

The luge ride (I don't know whether you've seen it) is a U-shaped metal channel running down the mountain. The rider sits on a four wheeled trolley with a joystick between the knees which operates a simple friction brake. I and my daughter enjoyed several rides but I did see one person come off the track on a tight bend and other people who were so terrified that they kept the brake on from top to bottom - much to the disgust of all those behind them!

As for the cheese - I bought one on one of my solo trips to the battlefields and made the mistake of leaving it in the car on the overnight ferry from Zeebrugge to Hull. When I entered the car the following morning, I was horrified by the smell - I assumed something had died in there...

One year, we stayed for a fortnight in a gite just outside Orbey and this had a German blockhouse in the garden. The proprietor found it useful for collecting edible snails which would congregate there in the cool damp environment. (My helmet now shall make an hive for bees....)

[Dragon]

I've seen the luge. It's outside my comfort zone.

I remember you saying about the gîte.

If Munster is vacuum-packed it'll travel for days without smelling (as long as there's a fridge to keep it in at intermediate destinations). Until you open it... But Munster melted over seasoned potatoes and onions is the ultimate comfort food when you want something filling, tasty and quick - hence last night's late meal. The cat is on a protest boycott of the kitchen.