The Col du Bonhomme () (elevation ) is a

mountain pass A mountain pass is a navigable route through a mountain range or over a ridge. Since many of the world's mountain ranges have presented formidable barriers to travel, passes have played a key role in trade, war, and both Human migration, human a ...

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. The pass connects

Kaysersberg Kaysersberg (german: Kaisersberg ; Alsatian: ''Kaiserschbarig'') is a historical town and former commune in Alsace in northeastern France. The name is German for ''Emperor's Mountain''. The high fortress that dominates the town serves as a remi ...

(

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 the ...

) with

Saint-Dié-des-Vosges Saint-Dié-des-Vosges (; german: Sankt Didel), commonly referred to as just Saint-Dié, is a commune in the Vosges department in Grand Est in northeastern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. Geography Saint-Dié is located in the ...

(

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) 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 on ...

(north–south). The pass takes its name from the nearby village of

Le Bonhomme Le Bonhomme (; ; gsw-FR, Bonom) is a village and commune in the Haut-Rhin ''département'' of north-eastern France. It lies at the eastern foot of the Col du Bonhomme. See also * Communes of the Haut-Rhin department The following is a list of ...

, 6 km to the east.

History

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

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 Gr ...

(France) and

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 ...

, 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 ...

. A stone marking the former border is situated 100 m south of the pass on D148 (Route des Crêtes). During World War I, the pass was the scene of fighting between French and German soldiers. On 8 September 1914, the commander of the French 41st Infantry Division, 69-year-old General Bataille, and six of his men were killed in a German artillery attack. A memorial to the General and his men stands at the pass.

Details of climbs

From the east, the climb starts at

Ammerschwihr Ammerschwihr (; ) is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. Its inhabitants are called ''Ammerschwihriens''. Geography Ammerschwihr is a small town located on the Wine Road of Alsace. Its main economical res ...

, passing through Kaysersberg and Le Bonhomme en route. From this direction, the total ascent is long climbing at an average gradient of 3.2%, with a maximum of 7.4%. From the west, the climb starts at Saulcy-sur-Meurthe passing through

Fraize Fraize () is a commune in the Vosges department in Grand Est in northeastern France about 25 miles from Colmar. Twin communes Since 1998 Fierza, Albania is a twin commune of Fraize. See also *Communes of the Vosges department The following ...

. This climb is long, at an average gradient of 2.8%, climbing . The maximum gradient is 6.5%. The pass can also be reached from

Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines (; ; Alsatian: ''Màrkìrisch'') is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department and Grand Est region of north-eastern France. Geography Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines is located in the massif of the Vosges Mountains, where it occupies ...

via the

(D48), passing Col des Bagenelles () and Col du Pré de Raves () en route, with the highest point reached at , before the Col du Bonhomme. The total distance is gaining in height at an average gradient of 3.2%. The central section, the last before the Col du Pré de Raves averages 6.5%.

Tour de France

The climb over the pass has been used 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, the first time being on the penultimate stage of the 1949 tour, an individual mountain time trial won by

Fausto Coppi Angelo Fausto Coppi (; 15 September 1919 – 2 January 1960) was an Italian cyclist, the dominant international cyclist of the years after the World War II, Second World War. His successes earned him the title ''Il Campionissimo'' ("Champio ...

References

External links

* Biography of General Marie Désiré Pierre Bataille on French Wikipedia
Col du Bonhomme on Google Maps (Tour de France classic climbs)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bonhomme, Col du Transport in Grand Est Mountain passes of Grand Est Bonhomme