Heimersdorf walks

A hike through the beautiful Sundgau forests dotted with ponds, with no major difficulties except for the walking time. There are many places to stop for a snack along the route.

A hike starting from Hirtzbach that passes through Largitzen and Heimersdorf. There are many remnants of theFirst World War along the route.

A long hike with superb views of the Vosges, the Black Forest and the Jura. There are numerous points of interest with information boards, benches and water points along the route.

Hirtzbach is well worth a visit. The castle, English park and opulent residences of Unterdorf are neatly lined up on either side of the stream, whose banks are beautifully flowered in summer. Along the way, a rural and wooded detour leads to the site of the vanished village of Sankt-Glückern and the Landfürstenweyer, the Princes' Pond, with its still waters.

A lovely walk with very varied scenery, including forests, countryside, and views of the Jura, the Black Forest, the Vosges and the pretty village of Wittersdorf below, as well as Altkirch.

According to Marc Glotz, "The Sundgau has only two Romanesque churches, both founded by the dynasties that shared the region in the Middle Ages: the Habsburgs and the Ferrettes. While Ottmarsheim evokes Carolingian grandeur, Feldbach recalls monastic simplicity. You leave it as if returning from a pilgrimage, with a renewed sense of serenity and the impression of having encountered the fleeting shadows of the counts."

Speaking of this part of the Sundgau, André Gide wrote:"One is constantly surprised, as one crosses the forest, to find oneself in the presence of an unsuspected sheet of water, mysteriously asleep in the shelter of the beech forests; rushes adorn narrow sandy beaches at the edge of large fields of water lilies. There are also several reminders of the First World War and the front line that separated Largitzen from Bisel.

Fancy a stroll through the woods for a few hours? This route is perfect for you. Although it’s not difficult, it still lets you discover some of the “secrets” of this part of the Sundgau and make the most of a lovely time spent outdoors.

An easy walk that allows you to take in the forest air. Not far from Altkirch town centre, there are some beautiful views and the Erlen pond, where you can sit and enjoy the surroundings.

A route inviting you to explore the two neighbouring villages of Seppois-le-Bas and Seppois-le-Haut. You will also enjoy sections through the forest, including the Gobenwald.

A wooded hill separates the Ill and Thalbach valleys. As you walk along it, you will discover an old vineyard, a quarry marked by tragedy, a botanical trail and the story of an unfortunate general. When you reach the Emlingen lime kilns, the 19th century suddenly springs to life, frozen in stone and iron.

A lovely walk in the Sundgau starting from Willer.

The scene of the terrible battle of 19 August 1914, the Talrain Forest, situated "Auf dem Berg" (literally: On the Hill), which overlooks the villages of Emlingen and Wittersdorf, offers views of Altkirch and the Black Forest and will teach you more about the key figures in this battle via the Path of Remembrance, part of which this route follows.

Friesen boasts an exceptional array of half-timbered houses built between 1499 and 1876. Thanks to meticulous inventory work, the walk allows you to see many reminders of a rural world that disappeared forever after the Second World War. A country lane then leads to the Notre-Dame de Grünenwald chapel and Ueberstrass, following in the footsteps of the Knights of Malta.

The Chemin des Planètes, created by the Astroaspach club in partnership with the municipality of Aspach, is a 3 km route that offers an original way to discover our solar system through educational panels depicting the distance between the planets to scale: 1 metre walked represents 2,100,000 km in space. From the Sun to Neptune, what a journey!Along the way, you can also enjoy a stroll through the Litten Forest, its chapel (1862) and the village’s rural surroundings, walk through the narrow streets of Aspach and, at the end of the trail, cross the Jardin des Libellules (a community garden dedicated to water conservation and biodiversity).

Below the Hochistross, the high road from Altkirch to Basel, villages dot the Thalbach valley. The old grain mill in Hundsbach has recently been restored, much to the delight of artists and history lovers.

Kilometre Zero is the starting point of the front line established during theFirst World War. It is located on the current French-Swiss border, at a place called Le Largin. The Kilometre Zero trail explores three sections of the front line, the first kilometres of the French and German fronts, and the Swiss front at Le Largin, established along the border opposite the no man's land where boundary marker No. 111, considered the zero point of the Great War front line, is located.

Koestlach has a rich heritage that we invite you to discover on this circular walk, which will take you up the slopes of the Burgerwald to explore the Celtic oppidum of Kasteberg. You will end your walk through the village by discovering the prestigious furnishings of Saint-Léger Church, as well as the Chapel of Our Lady of Seven Sorrows, the legends of Kugele and the village of Erzach, the presbytery of Nicolas Delfis and the remains of an ancient Gallo-Roman settlement.

On this route through the fields, you will take a small section of the Circuit de la Mémoire (Memorial Trail) with signs recounting the military exploits of the First World War. You will also have the opportunity to walk around the lake, which is impressive in size and pleasant in all seasons, with numerous benches dotted along the route.

In warm weather, this is a pleasant walk from the Ill valley to the old bed of the Rhine at the foot of the Jura mountains. The well-marked path offers plenty of opportunities to rest and leads to a strange crypt, the last vestige of a convent destroyed during the Revolution, where the shadow of an exiled poet still lingers.

It is in late February and early March that you should go to meet spring in the forest of Saint-Bernard. This is where the snowdrops appear, signalling the end of winter.

This walk will introduce you to the small village of Heidwiller, which offers everything a walker could wish for: in its centre stands a castle dating back almost a thousand years, to the north lies a peaceful canal, and to the south, a hill offering an exceptional view of the region. Add to this a short nature trail and a variety of forest paths, and you have the perfect combination for a successful walk!

Here, you can easily travel through the centuries, from the Britzgyberg oppidum to the German military cemetery in Illfurth. However, as you cross the vast Altenberg massif and the unspoilt village of Luemschwiller, you might think for a moment that you have managed to suspend time.

A beautiful hike to discover Ferrette, a beautiful medieval town with its castle and the Grotte des Nains (Dwarves' Cave) with its famous legend known to everyone in Alsace.

Ferrette is a medieval town situated in southern Alsace, in the Sundgau region at the gateway to the Jura. There are many places to see around the town, including the castle, the Loechlenfelsen, the Grotte des Nains, the Rossberg and the ruins on the Kastelberg. This walk forms a double circular route. You can therefore split the route into two sections. There are numerous viewpoints along this circular route, particularly in the first section, but most of the route runs through woodland.

This is an opportunity to visit the ruined castle and the town of the powerful Counts of Ferrette. Narrow, romantic paths lead to stunning limestone promontories and the mysterious Grotte des Nains (Dwarves' Cave), which is the subject of a famous legend.

The fighting of the First World War raged in the Sundgau region from August 1914 onwards. The French blew up the Dannemarie viaduct and the front stabilised and extended from the Vosges to the Swiss border. The front line ran a few kilometres from Illfurth, near Heidwiller. During this tour, you will discover several bunkers that served a variety of purposes, including ammunition depots, observation posts and artillery emplacements, as well as several casemates.