The memorial walls of Fraize

Starting point at the Col de la Séboue (car park and picnic area; a large aerial nearby can serve as a landmark).
Access from Fraize – Take the D23 towards La Croix aux Mines. At the Col de Mandray, turn right and follow the tarmac forest road for 2.6 km (passing the Col des Journaux memorial).

This walk is marked with specific signage: an arrow on a white background bearing the words ‘Murs de mémoire’ and the La Costelle logo. Sections of this route are also marked by the Club Vosgien or the FFR: please follow the specific signage. The walk is intended to be undertaken in the direction indicated by the signs, which corresponds to the description below.

(S/E) From the pass, head towards the telecommunications mast. There are three paths on the right: take the second one (white arrow). Head downhill and pass a few chalets. After the last chalets, the path becomes unpaved; continue for about 150 m.

(1) At a fork in the road, take the descending path on the right.

(2) You’ll come to a small tarmac road; follow it to the right. You’ll soon reach the start of the ‘Walls of Remembrance’ trail (a sign explains the significance of the wall below).

(3) Retrace your steps.

(2) At the junction you passed earlier, turn right onto a path. Walk downhill, noting the walls on your right and left. You’ll come out onto a small road (with a house on the corner) and follow it to the right. After about a hundred metres, the road gives way to a path. The most striking walls are on the right. Reach the end of the photo trail.

(4) Continue along the footpath (lovely view of Fraize). After about 200 m, you’ll reach a small tarmac road. Then turn left then right onto a footpath. You’ll come to a road again; follow it to the right.

(5) At the Fork in the road that appears shortly afterwards, take the small road on the left that leads uphill. You’ll reach the Route de la Séboue; follow it to the right as it climbs. Ignore the turn-offs on the right and pass the former terminus of the Fraize ‘Tacot’ (a relic of the First World War). Continue along the main road to the pass (S/E).

Memorial walls are structures generally built along plot boundaries or on the edge of public land. Please respect private property.
If you walk on the walls or use the steps, please take care as there is a risk of falling.

Apart from the ‘murs de mémoire’, you’ll discover some beautiful views of Fraize and the Meurthe valley.

At the northernmost point on the map (200 m before the finish), a small sign will indicate the location of the former terminus of the Fraize ‘tacot’ (narrow-gauge railway), a relic of the First World War.
About 100 m before the point mentioned above, you can extend this walk slightly by taking the ‘fitness trail’ on your left. Although the trail is a little overgrown, you’ll enjoy a pleasant walk that takes you to the Col des Journaux war memorial (1914–18), before returning along the ‘path of remembrance’ via the ‘tacot’ station (approximately +1 km 800), passing through a beautiful beech forest.

The information board will encourage you to explore, via an initial map, the many “Club Vosgien” trails – over 80 km of signposted paths accessible from the Fraize Tourist Office on Place Jean Sonrel.