Monument du Chêne trail

Access to the car park

From the Route de Strasbourg (D263) in Haguenau, head towards Schweighouse-sur-Moder and the Parc des Sports. Follow Rue du Moulin Neuf to reach the car park.

(S) If arriving in Haguenau by train: from the station, take the footbridge that leads to the rear of the station (Rue du Moulin Neuf). Cross the station car park and turn left to reach the Parc des Sports car park.

(1) Head to the north-east of the car park to take the tunnel under the railway line. Follow Rue du Moulin Neuf, which veers slightly to the right, to reach Boulevard de l'Europe. At the crossroads, cross the road and immediately turn left to cross the bridge over the Moder canal. Finally, turn right to follow the left bank of the canal.

Red Cross markings

(2) Continue straight ahead on the paved cycle path. At the fork, keep right along the canal. After 150 metres, take the stairs on the left to reach Place de Landau, where you will find the Club Vosgien directional signs. Follow the Red Cross sign towards Gros Chêne, taking Route de Soufflenheim, which starts on the other side of the roundabout. After 200 m, turn left, then immediately right and go up Rue de l'Ours.

(3) At the end of Rue de l'Ours, turn right onto Chemin du Parcage, which runs alongside the meadows.

(4) Turn left onto Chemin Krummerstegweg, which runs alongside the paddocks of the Écurie du Chalet. At the next intersection, head right to cross over the D1063 departmental road, then follow the road along the edge of the forest for just over 300 metres.
After entering the undivided forest, continue straight ahead on the Krummstein Forest Road (tarmac cycle path) for about 1.5 km, ignoring the paths on the right and left.

(5) Immediately after the intersection where two benches face each other on the path to the left, take the narrow path that begins 10 m further on to the left.

(6) Turn left onto the forest road, then right 100 m further on onto the path to walk along the Krummelsgraben ditch. After 1 km, at the second intersection between four paths, continue straight ahead to reach the path around the Oak Monument and follow the trail.
At the T-junction with a forest path, turn left onto the latter, then right after 40 m to walk along a small section of the fitness trail that leads directly to the Gros Chêne area.

(7) Reach the Gros Chêne area and head north-east to cross the Eberbach bridge.

(8) After the bridge, continue for 20 metres along Route de Schwabwiller (tarmac road), then turn right onto Allée Forestière du Gros Chêne.
After about 750 m, at the intersection with a forest road and a path marked by various Club Vosgien signs, follow the direction of the Aire des Charbonniers (Red Cross) by turning left onto the path.

(9) Turn left and, at the end of the path, you will find Route de Schwabwiller at Carrefour Noël. Take the path that starts on the other side of the road, slightly to the right, and continue straight ahead. At the third intersection with a forest path, turn left onto it and continue straight ahead.

(10) At the intersection with four paths, turn right and continue straight ahead for about 1.5 km, ignoring the paths on the right and left.
You will reach Aire des Charbonniers, the end point of this hike (E).

Don't forget to take the Haguenau Forêt d'Exception® tourist map, available from the Haguenau Tourist Office, which shows the plot numbers marked on the trees at the intersections. This makes it very easy to find your way around the undivided forest!

The Oak Monument Trail, Tourist Office information sheet.

Contact

Pays de Haguenau Tourist Office
03 88 06 59 99
tourisme@agglo-haguenau.fr
More information at visithaguenau.alsace

NB: You will need a vehicle for the return journey if you do not want to come back the same way or via the D263.

Refreshments are available at the Auberge du Gros-Chêne.
Playground and picnic tables available.

At the entrance to the undivided forest, on the left at the intersection of the Krummstein forest road and a path, stands a majestic pedunculate oak. It has been included in the inventory of remarkable trees for its striking location at the entrance to the forest and for its large size, with a trunk diameter of 1.21 m.

Further along the Krummstein Forest Road, after the car park and on the left-hand side, is an educational plot (134): following Storm Lothar in 1999, 2,300 primary school children from Haguenau each planted a tree here. Since then, every year, the town has accompanied primary school classes on a journey of discovery of the forest, its riches and its management on this educational plot.

The Oak Monument is a work by German artist Gloria Friedmann. Dating from 1995, it depicts a charred oak trunk against a bright red square wall. Its location in the middle of the forest is surprising, as is the contrast with the green vegetation. Here, the artist denounces the impact of humans on nature and leads us to question the fragility of life. Further on, seven wooden steles, which form an integral part of the work, display quotes related to nature from various cultures around the world.

A few metres before reaching the Aire des Charbonniers, you can take the path on the right to reach a remarkable Scots pine after 100 metres, whose trunk measures 3.60 metres in circumference, or nearly 1.15 metres in diameter.

The Aire des Charbonniers is named after the charcoal burners who lived there. Their important activity in^{the 11th} century consisted of making charcoal from beech wood. A restored oven, dating from 1941, sheds light on the manufacturing process.