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PRESSEMAPPE PRESS KIT
Memory tourism
1914-1918 ON THE VOSGES FRONT
2014
©C. Meyer/ADT68
2/11
CONTENT
Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………………… 3
The historical background ……………………………..…………………………………………… 4
The sites ………………………………………………………………………….………………………… 5
Cultural projects and events………………….………………….……….……………………… 7
Publications, Internet und Apps ……………………..………………………………………… 8
Memory tourism information …………………………………………………………………… 9
Our contacts……………………….……………..……………………………………………………… 11
3/11
INTRODUCTION
With the hundredth-anniversary of the First World War to commemorate, a firm initiation
has been taken to focus on recollection and remembrance as well as highlighting the specific
French-German context. This is all being organized by the Agence de Développement
Touristique de Haute-Alsace and the Conseil Général des Vosges having jointly worked
together to implement actions and projects along with the local Vosges Mountain tourism
actors, allowing access to the historic memorial sites on the Vosges front line in an
instructive, accessible and well-planned manner.
This common approach resolves the interdepartmental tourism development challenge by
relying on already-existing investments, reinforcing the beauty of this area and notably
opening the door to consolidating French-German relations through dialogue and
recognition of a shared European heritage.
Eight community of communes eagerly stepped forward around 11 memory sites:
In the Vosges Department:
Roche Mère Henry (CC Senones Region),
Chapelotte (CC Plaine Valley),
Fontenelle (CC Hure Valley)
For the Upper Rhine Department:
Hartmannswillerkopf or Vieil Armand (CMNHWK),
Linge (Memorial Association of Linge and the commune of
Orbey),
Tête des Faux (commune of Lapoutroie)
Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines Pass and Tête du Violu (CC Val d’Argent)
Mittlach’s Ambulance Alpine project (CC Munster Valley),
Uffholtz Abri-mémoire (CC Cernay and surroundings)
Romanian Military Cemetery in Soultzmatt (commune of Soultzmatt)
Given that the Vosges Mountains were the only French or German mountain front during the 14-18 war, given the logistics and transport infrastructures and technologies, and given
the landscape impacts and strategic challenges on top of the climatic and geographical
hardships, the entire interdepartmental project “Tourisme de mémoire 14-18” (Memory
Tourism 14-18) requested, and obtained in 2011, the label “Pôle d’Excellence Rurale – PER”
(Centre of Rural Excellence).
The PER “Tourisme de mémoire 14-18” invested an estimated total of 2,523,166 €.
The PER label is accompanied by a specific State backing of 727,689 € and a financial aid
from the General Councils and Regions involved.
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THE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
The Vosges Mountains, from the Chapelotte Pass to Sundgau,
boasts an incredibly rich and diverse history. Between 1870
and 1945, the region suffered through three major wars, hence
its deserved merit of holding a special place within the
European historic framework.
As opposed to the other battle fields during the World War I
the Vosges Mountains stood out being the only mountain front
during the 14-18 war on the German and French side, with
infrastructures and transport technologies, landscape impacts
and strategic challenges due to climatic and geographical
hardships. The scope and technical quality for preserving war traces
(trenches, shelters, galleries, fortified structures, old trees …) gives the
former Vosges front the ideal setting for a genuine “open-air museum”.
A unique mountain front
Alsace and a part of Lorraine were annexed by the German Empire at the time of the
Frankfort Treaty in May 1871. These “lost” provinces were the source of much patriotic and
nationalistic literature. As of August 4, 1914, the French army was given the order to march
forward into Alsace and seize the major valleys and towns. Mulhouse was occupied on
August 8, evacuated the next day, then taken back on August 17 to be definitely abandoned
on August 25. Munster was besieged by the French troops on August 17 and evacuated on
September 3, with reconnaissance troops having even succeeded in getting near the
outskirts of Colmar. After maneuver warfare, the front stabilized during the months of
October and November. The Saint Amarin and Masevaux Valleys remained French.
In the Lorraine Vosges area, after the initial combat fighting on either side of the Vosges
passes, the lines stuck to the border ridge (Violu), to a natural observation point (Fontenelle,
Tête des Faux) or to a strategic position (Chapelotte Pass, Roche Mère Henry). Attacks in
1915 made these place names well-known with the general public. The Vosges Mountains
became an unprecedented technically-challenging battle field: how to organize positions at a
thousand metres in altitude (Tête des Faux or Violu) and just metres away from the enemy?
Railways, cable cars, funiculars (Donon, Violu, Tête des Faux, Chapelotte) and roads
(including notably the infamous Crêtes road) are all the incredible technical exploits which
transported food, concrete and destruction vehicles, and whose remnants are still visible on
the ground.
In the Alsace Vosges, 1915 was also a year of great confrontation with the aim of seizing the
summits, allowing for a control of the valleys and their communication channels. In the
spring, Hartmannswillerkopf, Reichackerkopf, the Metzeral Valley and Sillackerkopf,
Anlasswasen and Hilsenfirst, became part of military reports with their long lists of dead,
injured or missing soldiers. In the summer, the Lingekopf-Schratzmaennele-Barrenkopf
Battle raged on while Hartmannswillerkopf was regularly set ablaze, and fighting conditions
were most unbearable due to the mountainous areas and dense forests. The German army
had the time to strengthen their occupied summit positions whereas the French army was in
very unstable and dangerous conditions, with the official doctrine being “offensive at all
costs”.
© B. Naegelen -
ADT68
5/11
THE SITES
The Vosges Mountains, whose front line
starts at the Swiss border near
Kilometre Zero, is dominated by an
impressive rocky overhang overlooking
the southern part of the Alsace plain,
Hartmannswillerkopf, one of the 4 national monuments from the World War I. It’s reached by going through the
village of Uffholtz whose Abri-Mémoire
is considered as an invaluable stop
before exploring this mountain referred
to as a “man-eater” which represents
the most imposing historic site of the
Vosges Mountains.
The Musée Serret, set in a former courthouse which was used during World War I as a
mobile Alsace hospital, was inaugurated in 1973 in Saint-Amarin and documents the fighting
and soldiers’ living conditions. Following along the old front line towards Noble Valley, there
is the largest Romanian military cemetery in France, the Soultzmatt Romanian Military Cemetery, inaugurated in 1924 by King Ferdinand and Queen Marie of Romania.
In the Munster Valley, which was nearly totally destroyed during the 1915 fighting, the
Musée du Linge embodies mountain warfare. Within its perfectly-preserved network, the
museum depicts French assaults which began on July 20, 1915 and finished at the end of
October.
On the border of the Munster Valley, in the only village which re-became and remained
French as of 1915, Mittlach’s Ambulance Alpine is installed in the town hall and alludes to
less known battles around Metzeral in June 1915.
On the other side of the Orbey Valley, the Tête des Faux is a summit reaching 1,220 meters
and was occupied by the Germans in 1914. The Christmas battle in 1914, fought under
extreme winter-weather conditions, incapacitated 600 men in one night. But the Germans
built remarkable strongholds which froze the situation until the Armistice.
Following along the former trench line, the Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines Pass, a border post
between France and Germany, was in German hands as of 1914. The surrounding summits,
the Bernhardstein, the Tête du Violu and the “Côte 607” (a hillside) became the stage of on-
going low-level hostilities.
© JL Delpal - ADT68
6/11
The Musée de Saint-Dié-des-Vosges boasts some exceptional objects regarding the 14-18
military history. Ten glass cases contain uniforms, weapons, munitions and documents from
the Meurthe Battle and fighting in Chipotte. The saga of Fonck and Guynemer, two flying
aces, is unfolded via a unique collection.
From August 28 to September 9, 1914, the Chipotte Pass sector witnessed much close
combat fighting. This sector had passed five times between the French and German hands
with 4,000 French soldiers being killed. The Poilus (informal term for the French infantrymen
during World War I) referred to this area as “le trou de l’enfer” (Hell’s hole). This French
victory, along with that of the Marne, essentially caused the Germans to fail in their invasion
attempt and this maneuver warfare became a tactical struggle for position. The Chipotte
cemetery recalls the heroic sacrifices of French soldiers.
It was in the Senones Valley, former capital of the Principality of Salm and near
Moyenmoutier, that the Germans established themselves as of September 1914. The Roche
Mère Henry spur, jutting out from the cliff, became a regular target of French attacks until
January 1915.
North of this military presence between the Donon and Roan-l’Etape summits, Chapelotte became the last site to witness mine warfare in the Vosges. Regardless of the friable
sandstone, the Germans succeeded in building some incredible bulwarks including the
Centre d’Interprétation et de Documentation 1914-1918 de Pierre-Percée which faithfully
relates this adventure.
On the commune of Ban-de-Sapt in the Hure Valley,
the upper part of the Fontenelle hill became a
tactical struggle for position which soon became mine
warfare. A monument was inaugurated in 1925 near
the cemetery where 2,348 French soldiers are buried.
© JL Delpal - ADT68
7/11
CULTURAL PROJECTS AND EVENTS
• Implementation of a bi-national and bilingual travelling exhibit regarding the First World War in
2014. Entitled “Menschen im Krieg - 1914-1918
am Oberrhein” « Vivre en temps de guerre des
deux côtés du Rhin (1914-1918) » (Experiencing
War on both sides of the Rhine (1914-1918)), this
exhibition, initiated by the Archives
départementales du Haut-Rhin in partnership with
the Generalllandesarchives Karlsruhe and the
Staatsarchiv Freiburg in Breisgau as well as the
Comité du Monument National de
l’Hartmannswillerkopf, is notably being put
together with partnership archive collections. It
brings together 8 themed chapters and 32
biographies of people having lived through the
war in Alsace and in the Bade-Wurtemberg.
Each panel will describe a person, relate their war
experience, and reveal some documents: the
person’s description and 3-5 picture or archive
documents.
In France, this exhibition will be presented in the
offices of the Conseil Général du Haut-Rhin from
March to June 2014, in Mulhouse from September
15 to October, at the Conseil Régional d’Alsace in
Strasbourg in November, in Saint-Louis in
December and then finally at the
Hartmannswillerkopf in November 2015.
In Germany, it can be seen in 2014 in Karlsruhe
(Generallandarchiv), and then successively in
Berlin (Landesvertretung), Freiburg (Staatsarchiv),
in 2015 at the Stadt Museum in Baden-Baden, in
Pforzheim (Kreisarchiv Enzkreis), in Constance
(Kreisarchiv), Kehl-Kork (Handwerksmuseum), and then in 2016 in Heidelberg (Friedrich-
Ebert-Gedenkstätte), at the Weinheim Stadtmuseum and finally in Buchen (Stadtarchiv).
More details on : www.front-vosges-14-18.eu.
• Filming of a 5-episode bilingual fiction series “Franchir la ligne” (Crossing the line), produced by ARTE with the SWR technical means, and should be shot during the summer 2014, at
Hartmannswillerkopf.
• In November 2014, the third edition of the colloquium “Rencontres de la Mémoire”
(Remembrance Get-Togethers) will be organized and will focus on the French-German
specificity.
8/11
• A colloquium focused on mountain warfare and organized by the Archives
départementales des Vosges and the Archives départementales du Haut-Rhin will take
place in EPINAL and COLMAR.
• The mission du Centenaire de la Grande Guerre awards the national “Centenaire”
(Centenary) label for the events drawing on universal values, founded on a shared
heritage and giving beneficiaries a national and international visibility.
• On both a regional and departmental level, an “Alsace 2014-2018” calendar listing all the
national and regional events will be available on www.region-alsace.eu.
BROSCHÜREN, INTERNET und APPs
• Michelin Guide edition “Alsace - Moselle : les combats des
Vosges” (Alsace – Moselle: the Vosges battles)
In anticipation of the hundred-year celebration of the World
War I, the company Michelin, whose legitimacy stems from its
1920 publication of 30 “bleu horizon” guides describing the
World War I combat areas, wanted to update and republish a
collection of six guides on these memory sites.
Within the framework of the PER, the Agence de
Développement Touristique de Haute-Alsace and the Conseil
Général des Vosges, worked together on this project,
contributing both on an editorial and financial level to ensure
the publication of the edition “Alsace - Moselle : les combats
des Vosges” (Alsace – Moselle: the Vosges battles).
• The site www.front-vosges-14-18.eu is available in three languages (French, German,
English) and presents the Alsace and Lorraine memorial sites from World War I located
on the Vosges front, the projects and actions undertaken within the Centre of Rural
Excellence framework, as well as historical data and a section giving access to the list of
labeled events. Additionally, both French and German archives are available on this site,
allowing to discover a learning area intended for teachers, students and young
audiences.
• UFFHOLTZ Abri-mémoire - a cultural heritage center, designed and produced, in
partnership with the National Education service, a teaching resource kit intended for
teachers and students, which includes three teaching booklets for primary schools,
secondary and high-schools, accompanied by a booklet for teachers. This teaching
resource kit, in the shape of a French ammunition-box also includes copies of old French
and German documents (posters, official proclamations, satirical cartoons of the time,
drawings, letters from soldiers, etc …) as well as photographs, military service records,
French and German handkerchiefs with military instructions of the time, and even four
or five copies of objects from collections of the various sites.
9/11
• In 2015, the French Postal System (La Poste) plans to create a commemorative stamp of
the Hartmannswillerkopf warfare, in memory of the sacrifices of soldiers during the
battles which took place on this emblematic site.
MEMORY TOURISM INFORMATION
Actions implemented within the framework of the “Tourisme de mémoire 14-18” Centre of
Rural Excellence.
This notably regards engineering work and securing of
the major memory sites, but also some actions and
creations in the areas of tourism communication and
promotion, such as:
• Publishing of generic tourism promotion brochure in
three languages (French, German, English) with
35,000 copies published and intended for the major
memory sites on the Vosges Front.
• In the spring of 2014, publishing of leaflets intended
for and adapted to each site, which will be a part of
the generic brochure, as well as a leaflet focused
solely on travelling.
• Presence at tourism trade fairs in 2014 and 2015.
• Publishing of books and magazines pertaining to the
World War I as well as video clips and images of the
Vosges Front.
• Creation of a “Front des Vosges 14-18” (Vosges Front 14-18) application for multimedia tools, modifiable depending on the needs and possibilities, in partnership with the
Vosges Mountain Commission, the community of communes and the communes
involved, and with which the Agence de Développement Touristique du Bas-Rhin was
associated.
The application will be available in the spring of 2014, and will allow tourists and visitors
to freely access memory sites belonging to the PER framework as well as other World
War I memorial sites in both an educational and interactive manner. This application
could also be extended to discuss the following periods: War of 1870-1871, the Second
World War and the creation of European institutions.
To facilitate the access and discovery of memorial sites, a self-guiding system is
proposed by downloading. It will accompany the visitors throughout the entire visit,
notably highlighting certain aspects using existing documentary resources.
10/11
• Design of the “World War I” tourist products in Upper Alsace and in the Vosges by the
marketing agency of tourist travels Destination Haute-Alsace, which allow visitors to
discover the major memory sites identified in 3-4 days or even in a day, within the
framework of the Centre of Rural Excellence.
There is a World War I specialist guide who accompanies visitors throughout the whole
visit – from Linge up to Chapelotte, passing by the Hartmannswillerkopf, the Musée
Serret, Fontenelle, the Roche Mère Henry and the Ménelle’s Centre d'Interprétation et
de Documentation in CELLES-SUR-PLAINE.
Price per person staying in a double room: from 270€ for a 3-day, 2-night stay.
Information/reservations: Destination Haute-Alsace
℡ + 33 (0)3 89 30 35 31 or [email protected]
© JL Delpal - ADT68
11/11
Other Websites
www.front-vosges-14-18.eu
www.haute-alsacetourisme.com
www.region-alsace.eu
http://centenaire.org/de
Our contacts
Jean KLINKERT – Director
Fabienne FESSLER
Haute-Alsace Tourisme Agence de Développement Touristique
1, rue Schlumberger
F - 68000 COLMAR
Tel + 33 (0)3 89 20 10 58
Damien PARMENTIER – Director
Catherine VOIRIN
Vosges Développement Conseil Général des Vosges
8, rue de la Préfecture
F - 88000 EPINAL
Tel + 33 (0)3 29 82 67 34
