2026-05-29 Vosges Driving Tour

 Friday, May 29, 2026

Another hot day, so a trip to the Vosges seems in order. This time we are heading almost straight west toward Hohneck, a peak near the ski area of La Bresse-Hohneck. 

But first, a stop in Munster, which is on our way. In his usual good sense of direction, Dave drove us right to the center of town (the church on the square is a giveaway). 

Protestant church, Temple of Peace

There's a paid parking lot right in front of the church. Figuring out how to pay for the correct amount of time can be complicated, so Dave had help from Mad and Ron. To use a Horodateur, you enter information about the amount of time, your license plate number, and then pay by card. The printed ticket is then placed on your dashboard. It always takes us a few minutes to figure these out!

Ron, Dave, Mad at the Horodateur

Munster was the site of a 7th century Irish abbey and its cloister that was bombed to rubble in WWII. The abbey gave its name to the town (Munster comes from the Latin word for monastery.) A current local project aims to restore the cloisters of the St Grégoire abbey. Today, of course, Munster is known for its soft, aromatic cheese - very unlike Wisconsin's version of Munster. 

cloister ruins - see the storks?

cloister ruins

Advertisement for sponsoring or donating: revive on of the biggest cloisters in Alsace

After stopping at the tourist office, we walked over to a Catholic church on Place de la République which we found inviting and welcoming in its bright interior. The parish of St. Léger was listed in 13th century papers but the old church was destroyed and rebuilt, or at least renovated, as late as the 1700s. As was common in this part of France, St Léger became a Protestant church in 1575 during the Reformation, was used simultaneously as a Protestant and Catholic church since the late 1686 and became Catholic once again in 1874. 

modern stained glass window displays vivid colors

Lynn, Chris, Mad in St Léger nave with modern clock mechanism on wall in balcony

Of particular note is a modern (2003) clock that shows phases of the moon, months, days, and of course time. 

Munster advertises itself as a stork village of Alsace. And we were suitably impressed. There were storks everywhere! 

Can you find 6 or more storks on this roof? Most nests had babies which were hard to see

just landing with lunch for the babies

I think I see 5 nests but 7 storks. Stork watching never gets old!

We didn't have enough time to explore further as we wanted to head up into the mountains. You may have noticed the switchbacks on the map above. We climbed every one of them! The views were stunning (and the pull-offs for taking photos were few). We ate our picnic lunch at a roadside picnic table before heading up to some further war memorials at Le Linge. This area saw fierce fighting during WWI for control of the nearby mountain passes, with many dead, including many Germans. 

a rare pull off

Our table for lunch - Mad, Lynn, Ron, Chris

At the end of the war, the French moved the 2,460 German soldiers who had died here and had been  buried in temporary graves around the region into this new military cemetery. Over the years, with financial support from Germany, the wooden crosses were replaced with metal crosses containing the names of the dead. Signage reminds us that "The dead in this cemetery are an exhortation to peace."

We moved a bit further up the road near the Col du Wettstein where the battle of Le Linge was fought. Here the remains of equipment and foxholes can still be seen. This description provides details of the battle and resulting chaos: https://linge1915.eu/en/histoire-bataille-linge-alsace-vosges/#:~:text=The%20Battle%20of%20the%20Linge,a%20field%20of%20chaotic%20desolation. 

This quote from the above information helps give context to this inconclusive but deadly battle: "Fierce attacks and counterattacks follow one another, and the small quarry on the Schratz is successively taken and lost by both armies. Soldiers from both sides were within metres of each other, and the grenade and bayonet battles caused bloodshed. The loss of men was considerable, and the situation of the survivors was miserable, an absolute horror. As the fighting wore on, the battlefield was transformed into a chaos of trees, stones and rocks smashed by artillery, a land upturned by shell holes and poisoned forever, a jumble of destroyed trenches, collapsed shelters, a field of horror strewn with decomposing corpses and wounded French and Germans waiting in vain for unlikely help, despite the great courage and dedication of the carers."

Mad looking at foxholes and rusting equipement

While it's clear that the Vosges played a large part in both WWI and WWII, today's views thankfully are beautifully calm and scenic. 

Once more after traveling many switchbacks as we went up and down these mountains, we reached our end goal - Le Hohneck. Topped by an auberge - an inn with rooms and a restaurant - the top of Hohneck provides 360 degree views of the Vosges. After an exploration of nearby features (like snow) we sat on the outside deck to enjoy a drink before starting our way home.

panorama with Chris & Ron

Small patches of snow still remain despite the extremely hot weather. Chris and Ron on the path.

Ron & Dave on the Hohneck patio

Chris & Mad enjoying sun and iced tea

Even here, war is inescapable. This plaque memorializes the Tunisian riflemen who, surrounded by Germans and fighting in a snowstorm, lost their lives in the destroyed hotel after 7 days of intense German attacks.

Dave has mapped a circular route as far as Munster to avoid retracing our steps. Once more we have enjoyed a day of history, nature, and scenery with reminders of the cost paid that we may enjoy these. There's lots to discuss at dinner.