Masevaux

Sickert Kirchberg

Wegscheid

Dolleren

Niederbruck Oberbruck

Rimbach

Soppe-le-BasGuewenheim Lauw

Soppe-le-Haut

MASEVAUX altitude 405 m The origins of Masevaux date back to the 8th century. According to legend, Count Mason, a nephew of Sainte Odile, the Patron Saint of Alsace, had a sumptuous castle built at the place known as the Schlossberg, at the entrance to Masevaux. Stricken by the death of his son, who drowned in the Doller, Count MASON gave away his wealth and goods to found a Benedictine abbey named for St Léger and entrusted the abbey with his son’s remains. Over time, the monastery became a convent for the daugh-ters of the nobility, directed by an Abbess. It is believed that Catherine II of Russia stayed in the abbey around 1750. During the Great War, the little town of Masevaux was the centre of military administration, the capital of re-conquered Alsace. Masevaux certainly lived up to this honour, with nearly 180 of its sons joining the French army. With its renovated, pedestrians-only centre, Masevaux has become an attractive and welcoming town, winning the National Floral Grand Prix in 2000.

Sights: the old Abbey Church of Saint Léger located on the Place des Alliés - Saint Martin church and its organs – The pedestrian street, Little Venice and Clemenceau - Notre Dame de Houppach Chapel - The Schimmel – the Vierge Douloureuse Chapel, Stoecken annexeA brochure guiding your tour of the town centre is available from the Tourist Office.

SICKERT altitude 425 mSickert comes from the German sickern: seep, and Bach: stream.The name of Sickert first appears in the archives in 1482. In the 19th century, Sickert was a small town of weavers and farmers. Saint Severin, the patron Saint of weavers, is particularly honoured here. The people of Sickert also enjoy the Alsatian nickname: "Kirschklepfer": cherry-stone spitters. Sickert was the birthplace of Louis ZIMMERMANN (1905-1997), founder of the newspaper L'Alsace and Mayor of Sickert from 1971 to 1983, and Roger GAUGLER, Mayor since 1983.Sights: Marie Auxiliaire des Chrétiens church – Herzenbourg Manor - Chapelle des Chouettes "S'Kutzakapalala"

NIEDERBRUCK altitude 430 mNiederbruck comes from the Germanic brucca: bridge, and the German nieder: lower.The village was mentioned for the first time in 1482, under the name of Niderbruckhen. It began to take shape with the discovery of mines and the influx of miners. At the beginning of the 19th century, the Witz, Steffan and Oswald families created a foundry manufacturing copper for marine and commercial uses. The company developed even farther in 1882, with the arrival of Joseph Vogt, who introduced the manufacture of copper rollers for fabric printing. The industrialist was also at the origin of the discovery of potash. Now called Cuivre et Alliages, the company is still the biggest employer in the upper Doller valley.Sights: Saint Wendelin chapel – The Virgin of Alsace

KIRCHBERG altitude 440 mKirchberg comes from the German Kirche: church, and Berg: mountain Mentioned from 1321, under the name of Kirchberg, the village featured several quarters: Langenfeld, Hohbuhl, Hecken and Strueth. Until the Revolution, the village was part of the Abbey and the feudal manor of Masevaux. Principally agricultural for centuries, Kirchberg saw the advent of industrial activity in the 19th century, initiated by Mayor Moritz, and continued by Eininger then the Zeller family from Oberbruck. Langenfeld’s weaving activity stopped in 1951. The Koehler-Bosshardt factory deve-loped from 1924 on the site of an old forge. The village’s most famous character was the Episcopal vicar Jean-Henri WEISS (1761-1847), who was one of the last French ecclesiastics to retract the constitutional oath.Sights: Saint Vincent church

WEGSCHEID altitude 455 mHighest point: Vogelsteine (1,164 m)Wegscheid comes from the German Weg: road, and Scheiden: the separation.In 1315: the appearance of Wegscheid in historical documents: the village belonged to the feudal manor of Masevaux. A major mining centre grew up in Wegscheid, in the Soultzbach valley, from 1400, with many silver and copper mines.Sights: The “forêt des volcans” Nature Park in the Nablas and Vogelsteine massifs.

DOLLEREN altitude 471 m Dolleren gets its name from Doller, which probably has Celtic origins: die oller: running water.The first mention of the village came in 1567, under the name of Tholier. In the 18th century, there were active granite quarrying operations, as well as iron and copper mines. A cotton weaving works opened in 1847. On August 6th 1914, the village became French again and was used as a rest zone behind the frontline throughout the war.Sights: the exaltation de la Sainte Croix church

OBERBRUCK altitude 460 mThe name of the village comes from the Germanic terms Brucka: bridge, and ober: upper.Mentioned for the first time in 1482, under the name Oberbruggen, the site belonged to Masevaux Abbey. The rich mining seams of the sur-rounding area led to the development of metallurgy activities from the end of the Middle Ages. The village grew with the arrival of workers and miners, but it was devastated during the Thirty Years War (1618-1648).With forge master Henri d'Anthès as the driving force, this activity star-ted up again at the end of the 17th century, made possible by hydraulic energy provided by the creation of dams and artificial lakes: Lac des Perches, Neuweiher. In the 19th century, the textile industry supplanted metal-lurgy, with the creation of a spinning factory and, then, weaving works by the Zeller family. These establishments lasted for nearly 150 years.Particular feature: the only aerodrome in the Vosges valleys is sited on the village territory.Sights: Saint-Antoine de Padoue church

RIMBACH altitude 580 mRimbach comes from the name of the Germanic divinity Rindr, wife of Odin, and the German Bach: stream.The village belonged to the Counts of Ferrette, then, from 1324 to 1648, to the Habsbourg family. The name of Rimbach appeared in 1482. The village belonged to the feudal manor of Masevaux until the Revolution. Rimbach includes several lakes: Lac des Perches at an altitude of 1,000 m, and the two lakes, Petit Neuweiher at 810 m, and Grand Neuweiher at 820 m. Sights: Saint Augustin church - Notre Dame du Perpétuel Secours chapel - Saint Nicolas chapel.

SEWEN altitude 500 mSewen comes from the Celtic see ven ou wen: near the lake Legend has it that the village of Sewen was founded in the 5th century by Christians fleeing the Huns. In the Middle Ages, when Masevaux Abbey wielded both religious and secular power, the upper Doller valley formed a single parish, Sewen, to which all the other villages were attached. Sewen was mentioned for the first time under its current name in 1302. A school was founded in 1837, a testimony to the “francization” ambitions of the Second Empire. Part of the Ballon d’Alsace lies within the boundaries of Sewen.Sights: Lac de Sewen, Lac d'Alfeld - Notre Dame church

Burnhaupt-le-Bas

Soppe-le-Haut

BURNHAUPT-LE-BAS altitude 300 mComes from Old High German, Brunn becoming Burn: spring, and Haupt: principal.Remains from the Neolithic and Roman periods were discovered within the commune boundaries. Burnhaupt-le-Bas, resulting from the division of Burnhaupt into two towns, appeared from 1394 under the name of Niedern Burnhohten. From this period the village was part of the feudal manor of Thann, provostship of Burnhaupt, which, in 1671, comprised two Mairies (Town Halls), including the lower Mairie, with both Burnhaupts and Gildwiller. Burnhaupt-le-Bas was the administrative centre of the Mairie and seat of the Provostship.The village was completely ruined during the First World War.Sights: Saint Pierre and Saint Paul churchSaint Wendelin chapel

BURNHAUPT-LE-HAUT altitude 300 m Comes from Old High German, Brunn becoming Burn: spring, and Haupt: principal.Burnhaupt-le-Haut was part of the feudal manor of Thann, higher pro-vostship of Burnhaupt, lower Mairie (town hall) of Burnhaupt. Annexe of Burnhaupt-le-Haut, Pont d’Aspach takes its name from the bridge across the Doller: this bridge is an old toll bridge, perhaps created by the Counts of Eguisheim, which accounts for its name in 1545, Exenbruckh.The village and its annexe were completely destroyed in the First World War. Industrial activities were concentrated around Pont d’Aspach and Burnhaupt-le-Haut has a bigger population than Burnhaupt-le-Bas, an inversion of the situation in the 17th century.Sights: Saint Boniface churchThe Tranchée d’Elbée Monument

SOPPE-LE-BAS altitude 320 mSoppe-le-Bas comes from Sultz: salt-water, and Bach: stream.The village was mentioned in 1105 under the name of Suspa, in 1185, as Sulcebach, in 1302, Lower Sulzebach, and, later, as Niedersulzbach.Included in the feudal manor of Thann, it belonged to the Ferrette family, then, from 1324 to 1648, to the Habsbourg family, and from 1648 to the Revolution, to the Duc de Mazarin. The commune was awarded the 1914-1918 Croix de Guerre. Sights: Saint Vincent church

SOPPE-LE-HAUT altitude 320 mSoppe-le-Haut comes from Sultz: salt-water, and Bach: stream.The origins of Soppe-le-Haut undoubtedly date back to the Gallo-Roman period. A Roman road from Mandeure in Doubs to Artzenheim ran through Soppe-le-Haut. There was a Roman castellum on the territory. The name Soppe began to appear around 1100 when the priories of St Morand (Altkirch) and St Nicolas (Rougemont)Sights: Sainte Marguerite church and its Callinet organs.

GUEWENHEIM altitude 335 mGuewenheim comes from the anthroponym Göwen or Gowin and the German heim: home. The origins of Guewenheim date back to 823, when the village was mentioned in a charter by Louis the Pious, son of Charlemagne, who granted the villages of the Doller valley to the Abbey of Masevaux. But the document was a forgery made in the 12th century. Guewenheim suffered the destructive forces of the Thirty Years War and many families fled. 120 years later, only 25 families remained, and the call went out to Swiss immigrants to repopulate the village. In the 19th century, the textile industry moved in, with the creation of small workshops serving the industries of Thann and Mulhouse. Liberated in the early stages of the war, in August 1914, Guewenheim was close to the front and had to endure bombardments during the 4 years of the war.Sights: Saint Maurice church - Notre Dame des Bouleaux chapel

SENTHEIM altitude 360 mSentheim comes from the German patronymic Sindi and German Heim: home. The name of the village, Senten, appeared for the first time in 1302. In the Middle Ages, there was a village downstream, Rimperswiller, a village des-troyed by the Armagnacs in the 16th century or during the Thirty Years War. In addition to widespread pastoral activity, there were also manufacturing and mining activities. The inventory features coal mines, mills, tile works and hand weaving looms, replaced in 1834 by the construction of a spinning works and weaving plant. A canal brought water from the Doller to power the turbines. This activity finally came to an end in the 1970s.Sights: Saint Georges church – the Convalescence Centre - Thur Doller Alsace Railway Station - Sainte Anne chapel

MORTZWILLER altitude 380 mMortzwiller comes from the German patronymic Moritz and the Latin villare: farm.Mortzwiller is set at the meeting point of the Sundgau hills and the imme-diate foothills of the Vosges. There are extensive views from the top of the surrounding hills. From Mortzwiller, there are views of the imposing Rossberg Massif, the Bäerenkopf, which stood astride the French-German border in 1870 and the Ballon d'Alsace with its steeply plunging flanks descending towards the Doller valley. To the South, there is the hazy blue outline of the Jura range and, on a clear day, you can admire the sparkling peaks of the Bernese Oberland.Sights: half-timbered houses

LAUW altitude 380 meLauw comes from the German Au: meadow, meaning “damp land”.Lauw was part of Masevaux Abbey, which owned a sawmill there. A frontier village from 1870 to 1914 and from 1940 to 1944, Lauw had a customs post, which controlled the roads leading to Belfort. In 1907, American troops set up a field hospital in the old limekiln quarries. Before being liberated on November 26th 1944, Lauw was hit by artillery fire. Located on a fracture field separating primary and secondary rock, the village has an interesting substratum.Sights: Saint Eloi church - Grotte du Hohlenstein cavernsAlong the Lauw: discovery trail, available from the Masevaux Tourist Office and the Mairie in Lauw.

Sewen

Office de Tourisme**1 Place Gayardon - BP 5 - 68290 MASEVAUX

Telephone: +33 (0)3 89 82 41 99 Fax: +33 (0)3 89 82 49 44E-mail: masevaux@tourisme-alsace.info

http://www.ot-masevaux-doller.fr

Masevaux Tourist Office opening hours

January, February, March, April, November and December:Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 12:00 & 14:00 to 18:00.

Saturday from 9:00 to 12:00

In May, June, September and October:Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 12:00 & 14:00 to 18:00.

Saturday from 9:00 to 12:00 and 14:00 to 17:00

In July and August: Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 12:30 & 14:00 to 18:00.

Saturday from 9:00 to 12:00 & 14:00 to 17:00.Sunday from 10/00 to 12:00.

Sentheim

Mortzwiller

Burnhaupt-le-Haut

Doller Valley Tourist Map

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