Schwarzbach (rivière) walks

This hike in the Northern Vosges will allow you to discover five castles which, although less well known than Fleckenstein, are just as worthy of a visit! Much of the walk takes place on small forest paths, making it very pleasant in hot weather.

A pleasant walk that mainly follows wide forest tracks. The paths present no major difficulty, apart from the access to the Windstein ruins. You will pass, in particular, the magnificent ruins of the Jaegerthal Forge, the birthplace of the De Dietrich factory, which was founded on 5 April 1685.

A pleasant, easy walk, mainly along wide forest paths, offering the chance to discover the Jaegerthal Forges, the castles of Nouveau and Vieux Windstein, and a few blockhouses.

On this second stage of your journey through the Vosges with Passion Vosges, you’ll pass numerous castle ruins – it’s a whole different experience. It’s an opportunity to discover the technical and architectural feats achieved at the time in such a hostile environment. This is particularly true of the semi-troglodytic castles of the Northern Vosges, where you find yourself wondering every time how parts of the structure managed to cling to the rock faces. A dizzying question. This stage is described by Franck Buchy in *Passion Vosges*, the hiking magazine published by *DNA* and *L’Alsace*. The entire route follows the Red Rectangle, unless otherwise stated.

This is a large circular hike starting from Jaegerthal, the birthplace of the De Dietrich family, with its castle, park and the remains of the first forge near the car park. It is a long but peaceful hike, with a succession of small "bumps" and dotted with numerous fortified castles and remarkable rocks. The first part follows the "Sentier de la Ligne Maginot" (Maginot Line Trail) with a succession of bunkers in a surprisingly good state of preservation.