Domaniale Forest and Grand Étang de Mouterhouse

Parking on the side of the D36 (Rue Principale) near the pond.

(S/E) Leave the car park and go to the junction of the D36 road with a small road leading uphill to the Ungerhardt forest house. On the way, there is a beautiful view of the Grand Étang from its south-eastern end.
Take the road uphill, leaving the road that runs alongside the Grand Étang on your right. Rue Albert Schweitzer is quickly well marked, and the road is lined with houses.
Pass the Ungerhardt Forest House and continue until the road reaches a flat section.

(1) Turn left onto the forest path that climbs into the forest.
Shortly afterwards, pass another forest path on the left. Continue on the main forest path for about 700 m. The path climbs steeply to the next forest path junction.

(2) Turn right onto the Goetzenbruck forest road (forest path).
Almost immediately, pass the Grosszimmerthal Forest Road on your right. Continue straight ahead on the forest road for about 1.2 km.

(3) Turn left onto a forest path overlooking the Goetzenbruck forest road to reach and cross the ridge before descending on the other side. The forest path joins another path after about one kilometre.

(4) Turn left at an acute angle and take the slightly downhill forest path, which soon begins a large right-hand bend.
Continue straight ahead until you reach the crossroads at the end of approximately 1.3 km.

(2) Continue straight ahead along the same path as on the way up.

(1) Turn left onto the road and continue for about 100 metres on the flat section.

(5) Before the road descends, take the small grassy path on the right, which soon descends steeply. Reach the end of a dead end and continue to Rue des Vosges in a sharp bend.
Take this street to reach the edge of the Grand Étang lake at a place called Neùhammer.

(6) Turn right onto the road that runs almost flat alongside the Grand Étang. This road joins Rue Albert Schweitzer just before the end of the Grand Étang.
Join the D36 road and turn left to return to the car park, which marks the end of this hike (S/E).

Parking is available either in the car park in front of the town hall or opposite, on the side of the D 36 road near the pond.

This hike covers varied terrain and requires sturdy footwear.

This route is not marked, even though some sections follow marked paths. It is therefore advisable to follow the directions in this description and on the map, while also paying attention to the landscape you are passing through. The distance indications from the starting point and even the GPS coordinates of the waypoints (including the starting point) can also help hikers find their way.

This route is classified as moderately difficult due to the fairly steep slope of Rue Albert Schweitzer in particular. Other hikers may consider it easy due to its modest length.

Hike completed by the author on 15 June 2018.

Mouterhouse
Source: Wikipedia - excerpts.
History
The village of Mouterhouse is mentioned in 1518 as Muterhausen, then Moderhausen, from Moder or Mutter, the name of the river, and the Old German Hus, Haus, meaning house. The border between the Mediomatrici and Triboci tribes ran close to the village, and is still known today as the border separating the dioceses of Metz and Strasbourg and the departments of Moselle and Bas-Rhin.
The valley, surrounded by wooded hills, was part of the seigneury of Bitche. Two hunting lodges, now gone, belonging to the Counts of Deux-Ponts-Bitche, stood guard over the village, one at the top of the Hohe Weyersberg and the other at the bottom of the valley. All that remains of the latter is the castle chapel, built in 1505 by Count Reinhard of Deux-Ponts-Bitche, to whom Pope Leo X granted indulgences in 1518. On an island in the pond opposite the chapel, the last Count of Deux-Ponts-Bitche, Jacques, had a hunting lodge built in 1550, which has been in ruins since 1633. This is where the chapel district was later formed. A little further to the south-west, the establishment of ironworks gave rise to the village at the confluence of two streams, the Breidenbach and the Moderbach, which form the northern Zinselbach, a tributary of the Moder. It is the Moderbach that gives its name to the village of Mouterhouse.
The first forge was established in 1623 but was destroyed by the Swedes in 1633. It resumed operations in 1717 and has belonged to the Dietrich family since 1843. However, the Second World War proved fatal for the forge: the factory was completely destroyed at the end of December 1944 and was never rebuilt. This important iron industry was made possible by the sandstone, which contains iron ore (up to 18%). This ore was extracted from the hillside, with the forest providing the necessary energy in the form of charcoal. Steel production was very important until the mid-19th century, when there were several blast furnaces in Mouterhouse. It was then rivalled by the steel industry in central Lorraine.
During the Second World War, the inhabitants were evacuated from January to April 1945 to the district of Pirmasens in Germany. The village was bombed from December 1944 to April 1945 and liberated on 19 March 1945.

Places and monuments
The ruins of Mouterhouse Castle, built in 1505.
The ruins of Hohe Weyersberg, dating from 1560.
The forge, founded in 1614.
Sonis Castle, dating from 1830.
At the edge of a sunken path leading to the Hochkopf forest road, a cross commemorates a murder committed here several years ago.
Carlsfels rock (Lindel, altitude 355 m): a very wild and isolated place, classified as a nature reserve since 1996 (marked access path now diverted); visitors access at their own risk, but it's an interesting visit! An isolated sandstone promontory overlooking the Lindel valley from the end of a ridge (old farm converted into a hunting lodge: caution, danger!).
The LEMBERG CAVES route (Hasslingerfels, Chorfels and finally Krippenfels). Circular walk starting from the Club Vosgien chalet in Lemberg (Beerenberg, altitude 423 m), lasting approximately 3 hours and entirely shaded. Dark, fragrant coniferous forests, a quiet and very pleasant walk, visits to bucolic ponds at the bottom of the valley, interesting rocks (good shelters), etc.

Notable figures linked to the commune
Pierre René Orono de Sonis, owner of the Société Anonyme des Forges et Usines de Mouterhouse, was responsible for the construction of the Château de Sonis and the renovation of the Notre-Dame-de-la-Miséricorde chapel.
The Dietrich family, ownersof the forges from 1843 until their closure after the Second World War. Owners of the large pond, they were behind the construction of the Protestant church.