Family picnic in the Charles de Reinach Park in Hirtzbach

Hirtzbach is located in the Sundgau, in the very south of Alsace. It is in the heart of this small village that we took our quarters, in the De Reinach park, for a summer picnic with the family! Sometimes, there is no need to go far to feel different! The proof? 20 minutes from my home, we wanted to try the Charles de Reinach Park in Hirtzbach, discovered in a leaflet of the Sundgau Tourist Office dedicated to families.

The village of Hirtzbach

What a nice surprise! Hirtzbach is a cute little village south of Altkirch in the Sundgau. Following the stream that crosses it, we see some pretty half-timbered houses with, as was the custom, the date of construction and the name of the owners inscribed above the front door. There is also an 18th century castle surrounded by a park. It still belongs to the De Reinach-Hirtzbach family who occupy it all year round. Even though the castle is clearly visible through the gates, it is not open to the public.

But, by the way, what is this park?

We arrive at our subject: the park Charles De Reinach, lent by the family of the same name to the municipality in 1982, is a bucolic park, with bodies of water, very raised and flowered. It is an English garden that Charles De Reinach had laid out in the 19th century. There are a few curiosities: several chalets straight out of the Swiss Alps that were used to store logs, hay or carts… And above all, the last ice house in the Sundgau that you can get into. Its very thick stone walls and no windows isolated it completely from the outside world and allowed the ice collected from the pond in winter to be stored there until the following autumn (does this remind you of a Disney cartoon, perhaps? Yes, the Snow Queen!).

What to do on the nature side!

Most of the gardens give the impression of being natural, but that’s the charm of English gardens: an impression of letting nature take over, when in fact they are very well thought out and maintained.

Of course, there is no playground but, with the children, you can take the time to observe the animals of the park: the blue dragonflies and the colorful butterflies which are numerous in summer or the ducks which waddle at the edge of one of the three water bodies. There are also panels to learn more about the birds and trees of the park, some of which, which have been around for several generations and are rare to find in Alsace, are classified. It is under their leaves that we choose to rest to picnic after the discovery of the park!

And art as a cherry on top of the cake…

In the gardens of the park are also hidden some modern works of art that decorate the gardens. Among them, we met little leprechauns and witches who made a strong impression on our little loulou (for reminder, he is not yet 4 years old!).

In short, a real haven of peace for 2 to 3 hours: count on a 45-minute walk and then, it all depends on how long your picnic and… your nap last! And you, do you have a “favorite” park where you feel out of place every time you stop there?

My photos of the Reinach Park in Hirtzbach