The Col de la Schlucht (elevation ) is a mountain pass in the

Vosges Mountains The Vosges ( , ; german: Vogesen ; Franconian and gsw, Vogese) are a range of low mountains in Eastern France, near its border with Germany. Together with the Palatine Forest to the north on the German side of the border, they form a single ...

of France. On the west side lies the historical region of

Lorraine Lorraine , also , , ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; german: Lothringen ; lb, Loutrengen; nl, Lotharingen is a cultural and historical region in Northeastern France, now located in the administrative region of Gra ...

(Lothringen in German), on the east side lies the historical region of

Alsace Alsace (, ; ; Low Alemannic German/ gsw-FR, Elsàss ; german: Elsass ; la, Alsatia) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in eastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine next to Germany and Switzerland. In 2020, it had ...

(Elsass in German). The pass takes its name from the German word "Schlucht", meaning "gorge" or "ravine". It connects Munster (

Haut-Rhin Haut-Rhin (, ; Alsatian: ''Owerelsàss'' or '; german: Oberelsass, ) is a department in the Grand Est region of France, bordering both Germany and Switzerland. It is named after the river Rhine. Its name means ''Upper Rhine''. Haut-Rhin is th ...

) with

Gérardmer Gérardmer (; or archaic ''Geroldsee'', and ''Giraumoué'' in local Vosgian) is a commune in the Vosges department in Grand Est in northeastern France. Population Culture The Festival international du film fantastique de Gérardmer (literally ...

(

Vosges The Vosges ( , ; german: Vogesen ; Franconian and gsw, Vogese) are a range of low mountains in Eastern France, near its border with Germany. Together with the Palatine Forest to the north on the German side of the border, they form a single ...

) (east–west, via the D417) and is also crossed by the

Route des Crêtes Route des Crêtes ( en, Route of the Ridges) is an road in the Vosges Mountains in eastern France, which passes through the Parc Naturel Régional des Ballons des Vosges. It connects Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines (north) with Cernay (south) and runs o ...

(north–south, D61 and D430). Near the Col, along the ''Route des Crêtes (D430)'' is the

source Source may refer to: Research * Historical document * Historical source * Source (intelligence) or sub source, typically a confidential provider of non open-source intelligence * Source (journalism), a person, publication, publishing institute o ...

of the Meurthe. The climb over the pass has been used several times in the

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consists ...

cycle race.

History

Between 1871 and 1918, the pass was a border crossing between

(France) and

, which had been ceded to Germany under the

Treaty of Frankfurt The Treaty of Frankfurt may refer to one of three treaties signed at Frankfurt, as follows: * Treaty of Frankfurt (1489) - Treaty between Maximilian of Austria and the envoys of King Charles VIII of France *Treaty of Frankfurt (1539) - Initiated ...

. Prior to World War I, the pass could be accessed via two separate tramway lines, from Gérardmer (opened 1904) and Munster (opened 1907) respectively. Both lines were abandoned at the outbreak of the war; that from Munster was never re-opened, whereas the line from Gérardmer continued in service until 1940.

Facilities

Winter sports Col de la Schlucht is reputed to have the first ski-lift in the Vosges and has long been a popular destination for wintersports such as cross-country skiing and alpine skiing. It is also a popular area for

snowshoe Snowshoes are specialized outdoor gear for walking over snow. Their large footprint spreads the user's weight out and allows them to travel largely on top of rather than through snow. Adjustable bindings attach them to appropriate winter footwe ...

ing. Hiking There are many trails marked by Club Vosgien. The most famous is probably the ''Sentier des Roches'', a rocky footpath along the edge of a ridge near the Col which is closed in winter. This is considered to be one of the most impressive (and dangerous) Alsatian mountain paths. It is a part of GR 531 and can be used to go to Hohneck via Frankenthal. Col de la Schlucht also lies on

GR 5 The GR 5 is a GR footpathThe acronym GR stands for "Grande Randonnée" (in French), meaning "Great Hike". that starts in the Netherlands, crosses Belgium and Luxembourg before crossing France from north to south. It is part of the European wa ...

and GRP Tour de la Vologne. Lifts and luge The lifts usually keep working in summer. The seats can carry a backpack or even a bicycle, making it possible to go mountain biking (a mountain bike is a VTT in French). There is a ski-lift up Montabey; from the top of the ski-lift, in summer, there is a luge run back down to the Col.

Details of the climbs

From the west, the climb starts at Le Kertoff, before

. From here, the climb is long gaining in height at an average gradient of 3.1%. The steepest section is at 6.7%. This was the climb used in the

2009 Tour de France The 2009 Tour de France was the 96th edition of the Tour de France, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It started on 4 July in the principality of Monaco with a individual time trial which included a section of the Circuit de Monaco. The race visite ...

. The climb from the east starts at Munster from where there are to the summit, gaining in height. The overall average gradient is 4.2%, which is maintained fairly steadily throughout the climb. From

La Bresse La Bresse () is a commune in the Vosges department in Grand Est in northeastern France. The area is known for its ski resorts and outdoor activities. La Bresse is located about 45 km west of Colmar and 55 km north west of Mulhouse in ...

(south-west), the ascent via D34 is long climbing at an average gradient of 3.0%. This climb passes the Col des Feignes () en route, after which there are at between 7 and 8%. From Fraize (north-west), the climb is at an average of 3.0%, gaining in height. The summit can also be accessed via

from the

Col du Bonhomme The Col du Bonhomme () (elevation ) is a mountain pass in the Vosges Mountains of France. The pass connects Kaysersberg ( Haut-Rhin) with Saint-Dié-des-Vosges ( Vosges) (east–west) and is also crossed by the Route des Crêtes (north–south ...

(north) or the Col du Grand Ballon (south).

Tour de France

The climb over the pass was first used on stage 20 of the

1931 Tour de France The 1931 Tour de France was the 25th edition of the Tour de France, which took place from 30 June to 26 July. It consisted of 24 stages over . The race was won by French cyclist Antonin Magne. The sprinters Charles Pélissier and Rafaele di Pa ...

, when the summit was crossed by a group of riders, although

André Leducq André Leducq (; 27 February 1904 – 18 June 1980) was a French cyclist who won the 1930 and 1932 Tours de France. He also won a gold medal at the 1924 Summer Olympics in the team road race event and the 1928 Paris–Roubaix. Career Le ...

was the first across the line after the descent into Colmar.

Appearances in the Tour de France (since 1947)

Since World War II, the col has been crossed eight times, either as a Category 2 or Category 3 climb.

References

External links

*
Official website
* Tramway de Gérardmer on French Wikipedia * Tramway de Munster à la Schlucht on French Wikipedia * Sentier des Roches on German Wikipedia
Col de la Schlucht on Google Maps (Tour de France classic climbs)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schlucht, Col de la Transport in Grand Est Mountain passes of Grand Est Schlucht Grand Est region articles needing translation from French Wikipedia