Route des Crêtes ( en, Route of the Ridges) is an road 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 ...
in eastern France, which passes through the
Parc Naturel Régional des Ballons des Vosges. It connects
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 ...
(north) with
Cernay (south) and runs on the border of the
departements
A department (, ) is an administrative division, administrative or political division in several countries. Departments are the first-level divisions of 11 countries, nine in the Americas and two in Africa. An additional 10 countries use departm ...
of
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 ...
(68) and
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 ...
(88). Most of the route is at an elevation in excess of , with the highest point being at the
Col du Grand Ballon
The Col du Grand Ballon (elevation ) is a mountain pass situated close to the summit of the Grand Ballon () in the Vosges Mountains of France. It connects Cernay (Haut-Rhin) with Le Markstein winter sports station.
Details of the climbs
There ...
(). The road is generally open from April to November, but most of the route is closed in the winter by snow.
History
The ridge forms part of the boundary between the
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 ...
and
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 ...
regions of France
France is divided into eighteen administrative regions (french: régions, singular ), of which thirteen are located in metropolitan France (in Europe), while the other five are overseas regions (not to be confused with the overseas collecti ...
. In 1871, Alsace was 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 ...
, and thus the ridge formed the boundary between France and Germany.
During the First World War, the French military decided to create a road to follow the ridge, thus allowing easier access to the valleys on both sides, enabling the faster movement of French troops.
The route was mostly just below the ridge to the west and was thus protected from German gunfire.
Description of route
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 ...
(
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 ...
) (elevation ), the Route des Crêtes is accessed via D48 and Col des Bagenelles (), which leads to 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 ...
(), on the route connecting
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 ...
(west) and
Colmar
Colmar (, ; Alsatian: ' ; German during 1871–1918 and 1940–1945: ') is a city and commune in the Haut-Rhin department and Grand Est region of north-eastern France. The third-largest commune in Alsace (after Strasbourg and Mulhouse), it is ...
(east).
The route (now D148) continues south via the Col de Louchbach () to the Col de Calvaire (), where it enters the department of
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 ...
. The route (now D61) then passes the Gazon du Faing () from where there is a panoramic view stretching to the
Black Forest
The Black Forest (german: Schwarzwald ) is a large forested mountain range in the state of Baden-Württemberg in southwest Germany, bounded by the Rhine Valley to the west and south and close to the borders with France and Switzerland. It is t ...
across the
Rhine
), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source1_coordinates=
, source1_elevation =
, source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein
, source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source2_coordinates=
, so ...
valley in Germany and the
Hohneck,
Petit Ballon
The Petit Ballon (german: Kleiner Belchen) or Little Belchen,Chevrier, Jean-François. ''From Basel - Herzog & de Meuron'', Basel: Birkhäuser, 2016, p. 54. is, at 1272m, one of the highest peaks of the Vosges Mountains in the department of Haut-R ...
and
Grand Ballon
The Grand Ballon () or Great Belchen is the highest mountain of the Vosges, located northwest of Mulhouse, France. It is also the highest point of the Grand-Est French region.
Name
''Grand Ballon'' means "great ound-toppedmountain" becaus ...
summits 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 ...
.
From here the road then crosses the
Col de la Schlucht
The Col de la Schlucht (elevation ) is a mountain pass in the Vosges Mountains of France. On the west side lies the historical region of Lorraine (Lothringen in German), on the east side lies the historical region of Alsace (Elsass in German).
Th ...
(), which connects
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 ...
(west) with Colmar. Near here, there is the
Jardin d'altitude du Haut Chitelet
The Jardin d'altitude du Haut Chitelet (1.5 hectares) is a botanical garden specializing in high-elevation alpine plants, located at about 1220 metres elevation on the Route des Crêtes, near the peak of Hohneck (Vosges), about 1 km south o ...
. Now the D430, the road then passes the
Hohneck mountain () from where there are also panoramic views.
After passing the
Kastelberg
The Kastelberg is the fourth highest summit of the Vosges Mountains. It is located on the former border between the French regions of Alsace and Lorraine.
Etymology
In German ''Kastelberg'' means ''mountain of the castle''.
Geography
The m ...
(),
Rainkopf
The Rainkopf is one of the highest summits of the Vosges Mountains. It is located on the border between the French regions of Alsace and Lorraine. Not faraway from its summit is located a mountain hut called ''Refuge "Louis Hergès" au Rainkopf'' ...
() and Rotherbachkopf () peaks in quick succession, the road returns to the
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 ...
department before it crosses the Cols du Herrenberg () and Hahnenbrunnen () on the way to the winter resort of
Le Markstein
Le Markstein is a winter sports station in the Vosges mountains in France situated at an altitude of between and which is located on the Route des Crêtes. It forms a set of cross-country skiing with the Breitfirst ski-station and the Grand Ballo ...
().
The road (now D431) then reaches its highest point at the
Col du Grand Ballon
The Col du Grand Ballon (elevation ) is a mountain pass situated close to the summit of the Grand Ballon () in the Vosges Mountains of France. It connects Cernay (Haut-Rhin) with Le Markstein winter sports station.
Details of the climbs
There ...
(), before passing the Col Amic () on the descent to
Cernay. En route, it passes the ruins of Freundstein Chateau, which at an altitude of is the highest castle in Alsace, and the
Hartmannswillerkopf
Hartmannswillerkopf, also known as the Vieil Armand (French) or Hartmannsweiler Kopf (German; English: Hartmansweiler Head) is a pyramidal rocky spur in the Vosges mountains of the Grand Est region, France. The peak stands at overlooking the Rhine ...
military cemetery at
Vieil Armand.
Traffic management
The route has become popular with walkers, cyclists, motorbikers and motorcaravanners. In 2000, a shuttle bus was introduced to carry walkers onto the ridge road in an attempt to reduce the pressure from the use of cars; this was not successful and the bus service was withdrawn in 2012.
In 2008, a comprehensive report on the traffic problems was published by the park authority. Environmental groups were calling for partial closure of the road to prevent over-crowding especially during summer weekends, which often resulted in road accidents.
[ The report's author, J.-P. Monet considered the conflicting environmental and economic issues. His report offered no real solutions but concluded:]Je souhaite aux acteurs . . . de trouver le chemin de la concertation et d’arriver à créer un réseau coopératif leur permettant de valoriser ce magnifique site dans un climat apaisé. (I hope the players can find the path of dialogue and create a cooperative network allowing them to develop this wonderful site in a peaceful climate.)
With effect from 1 May 2012, a speed limit of 70 km/h was introduced on the sections of the road in the 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 ...
department, between the Col des Bagenelles and Uffholtz
Uffholtz ( gsw, Üffholz; ) is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. The organist and composer Aloÿs Claussmann (1850–1926) was born in Uffholtz.
File:Uffholtz, Eglise Saint-Erasme.jpg, Saint Erasmus Ch ...
(near Cernay). At present, a similar speed limit has not been imposed by 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 ...
department covering the central section of the route. A proposal has also been put forward to close the road entirely to motor vehicles, other than public transport, on at least one day a week.[
]
References
External links
Detailed map and profile of entire route
Map of Route
Flickr photoset
Tourism website
Review
on Michelin Guide
The Michelin Guides ( ) are a series of guide books that have been published by the French tyre company Michelin since 1900. The Guide awards up to three Michelin star (classification), stars for excellence to a select few establishments. The ac ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Route des Cretes
Tourist attractions in Haut-Rhin
Tourist attractions in Vosges (department)
Roads in France
Transport in Grand Est