Vincent

South of the Crest Road, on a rock spur at an altitude of 900m, stands Vieil-Armand (or Hartmannswillerkopf, often shortened as HWK). A little bit of historical context… This mountain has many names (because of the changes in nationality and therefore in languages) and has been during World War I, the theater (especially during the winter 1915-1916) of particularly violent battles. The vigor of the fights, as well as the harsh winter conditions (an extremely cold winter) made of Hartmannswillerkopf, a symbolic battlefield in the Vosges. The battles didn’t lead to victory for any of the camps and Vieil-Armand (which can therefore be considered...

10 It’s quite hard to choose among all these Christmas markets in December in Alsace. Highly recommended by many of my friends, I decided to visit that of our Vauban town… Neuf-Brisach Christmas Market! The town of Neuf Brisach, entirely built in 1697, hosts an exceptional (only on weekends) and unique Christmas Market: it’s on the theme of a village from 1700 ! This extraordinary Christmas Market is literally divided in two parts: one traditional Christmas Market side and another side, entirely dedicated to this historical period… so, are you ready to jump back to 300 years ago? The village from 1700 Discover life at...

There are a lot of Christmas markets around Colmar: Eguisheim, Kaysersberg… but as soon as you go in the south of the region, there are fewer and fewer of them. It’s a shame, because some of them are worth a stop, as for example Thann Christmas Market, a small town at the entrance of the Alsace Wine Route. This market (about forty chalets) with authentic decorations is divided into three locations: – Place Joffre: you can find, around the collegiate Saint-Thiébaut (a flamboyant gothic architectural gem, which is worth a stop in itself), the largest Christmas market in Thann: there are a lot...