La Petite-Pierre (German: Lützelstein) is a small, cozy town located in the Northern Vosges Nature Park, 15 km north of Saverne. The town of La Petite Pierre developed from a settlement around Lützelstein Castle. The castle, built in the 12th century, is strikingly situated at the end of a mountain spur that extends far into the valley, overseeing one of the most important passes of the Vosges, which connected Alsace with Lorraine. Also worth seeing are the church of Count Burghard of Lützelstein, who adorned it with beautiful frescoes, and the many flower-decorated half-timbered houses in the town center.
The 38 km circular route “La Petite-Pierre” leads from Ingwiller on low-traffic roads through the Northern Vosges via Sparsbach and Erckartswiller to La Petite-Pierre and from there to Neuwiller-les-Saverne at the edge of the Northern Vosges. The former abbey church of St. Peter and Paul there, founded around 720 and one of the most artistically valuable and stylistically diverse churches in Alsace, is worth a stop.
The route then continues on a former railway line converted into a cycle path to the scenic Bouxwiller and from there on an asphalt cycle path via Niedersoultzbach back to the starting point in Ingwiller.
More cycling routes in northern Alsace at:
Author’s recommendation
Old town of Bouxwiller
Abbey church of St. Peter and Paul in Neuwiller-lès-Saverne
Church of St. Adelphus in Neuwiller-lès-Saverne
Church of Count Burghard of Lützelstein and Lützelstein Castle in La Petite Pierre
Old town of Ingwiller
Derived from the technical difficulty and the stamina requirements.
Track types
Safety information
noneTips and suggestions
Roadbook
The starting point of the route is at the train station in Ingwiller. From the station, first ride north on Rue de la Gare until you reach Route de Weinbourg, where you turn left. Follow the signage on D 56 over Route de Weinbourg, Rue Bellevue, and Côte de Weinbourg towards Weinbourg/Sparsbach. From the roundabout just before Weinbourg, continue on D 113 via Sparsbach towards La Petite–Pierre. After 4 km from Sparsbach, where you meet D 7, turn right onto D 183 towards Erckartswiller. Immediately at the entrance of Erckartswiller, turn left onto Rue d’Eglise to leave the town. On a small road, continuously uphill, you reach D 135, where you turn left. After 4 km you arrive at La Petite-Pierre, where you should visit the suburb and the castle.
Then continue past the town hall of La Petite Pierre towards Ingwiller/Neuwiller-lès-Saverne. Initially, ride on D 7, then after about 2 km turn right onto the low-traffic D 134 towards Neuwiller-lès-Saverne.
In Neuwiller-lès-Saverne, turn left towards Boxwiller onto Rue de Général Koenig. Past the impressive Église Saint-Pierre et Saint-Paul, continue on Rue de Bouxwiller to Rue de Gare, and there turn left onto the cycle path to Bouxwiller/Haguenau.
In Bouxwiller, shortly after the old train station, turn left onto Rue d’Ingwiller. From there, follow the cycling route signage to Ingwiller, which leads you via Niedersoultzbach back to Ingwiller, reached via Route des Romains. At the end of this street, turn right onto Rue du Général de Gaulle and then left onto Rue de l’Asile to return to the starting point of the route.
Public transport
Public-transport-friendly
by train from Mommenheim towards SaargueminesDirections
From Haguenau on the D 919 towards Ingwiller/PfaffenhoffenCoordinates
Author’s map recommendations
Alsace - Northern Vosges - Alsace - Vosges du Nord 1 : 50,000
2 hiking/cycling maps in a set with Aktiv Guide. GPS accurate
Publisher: KOMPASS-Karten GmbH
KOMPASS-Karten, 07/2014
Localization
Derived from the technical difficulty and the stamina requirements.

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