Around the Vieil Armand

Large car park near the Hartmannswillerkopf memorial (in the commune of Wattwiller).

(S/E) From the car park, turn right before the memorial, walk past the museum and its terrace, and follow the right-hand side of the cemetery to reach the Col du Silberloch (elevation 883).

(1) Follow the Red Ring markings to the right.

(2) Head down to the right (Yellow Triangle markings). Please note that this descent is very steep, followed by an ascent which is, however, easier.
Alternative route: from here, you can head directly to the summit of the Hartmanswillerkopf (round trip) by following the Red Ring markings.

(3) At the bottom of the descent, turn left (Red Saltire markings). Walk past the Mitter Rehfelsen and arrive at a fork in the path.

(4) Turn left (Red Rectangle with a white cross). Beautiful views over the valley. Pass the German Hunters’ Monument and the memorial to the 152nd Infantry Regiment. At the foot of the Hartmanswillerkopf summit, there is a large viewing point with unobstructed views over the Rhine Valley and, on a clear day, as far as the Black Forest. You’ll reach the cross at the summit of the Hartmanswillerkopf. There are numerous benches around the summit cross.

(5) Continue straight on towards the west and return to a junction you passed earlier.

(2) Turn right and follow the Red Ring markings to the rocky outcrop of Vieil Armand.

(6) Continue following the Red Ring markings to the Roche Sermet.

(7) Turn left and follow the Yellow Triangle markings to reach the Col du Silberloch.

(1) Head uphill, crossing the cemetery and the necropolis, before reaching the car park on the left (S/E).

Rated as moderate difficulty due to a relatively steep and rocky descent between points (2) and (3).
A possible alternative route to avoid this is to head directly to point (5) from point (2), before returning there to continue the walk.

Benches and tables at the points (5) and (6).

Vieil Armand: the battle for the summit began on 31 December 1914. The fiercest fighting took place on 19, 20 and 26 January, 25 and 26 March, in April, and on 21 and 22 December 1915. During the four years of the war, the summit of the hill changed hands four times. From around mid-1916 onwards, both sides reduced their troop numbers there; more intense fighting took place in the northernmost sectors of the front. From 1916 onwards, there were essentially only artillery duels. Both sides confined themselves to holding their lines. 30,000 French and German soldiers died in the trench warfare at Hartmannswillerkopf; around twice that number were wounded. These battles yielded no result for either side and now symbolise the futility of war. Hartmannswillerkopf has sometimes been called the ‘mountain of death’.

Hartmannswillerkopf National Monument: Hartmannswillerkopf is one of the four major national monuments of the First World War. Comprising an altar, a cemetery and a crypt, it is also distinguished by its unique setting overlooking the Alsace plain. The site holds the remains of 15,000 French soldiers who fell during the major offensives of 1915–1916

Mittlerer Rehfelsen: this site consists of a group of German First World War bunkers and machine-gun emplacements connected by tunnels. Caution must be exercised in the tunnels due to the open vertical shafts and loose rock.