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Hiking Trail
· Alsace
Hohenburg Monastery on Odilienberg and the Pagan Wall
Günther Weinert
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Kloster Hohenburg on the Odilienberg and the heathen wallVideo: Outdooractive – Flyover Videos
Important note: When driving to Odilienberg from Germany, you will probably also use the French highway A35. It is, like very few highways in France, toll-free (status: 9.10.2025).
Hohenburg Monastery on Odilienberg
Near Strasbourg, on the eastern edge of the Vosges, lies Odilienberg with the Hohenburg Monastery. The place was named after Saint Odilia, the monastery founder and patron saint of Alsace. The complexes were used as a convent until the Middle Ages, repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt. Important buildings/highlights inside the monastery complex include: the Lindenhof, as well as the monastery courtyard with the statue of Saint Odilia, the St. John's Chapel with beautiful frescoes, the basilica, the Cross Chapel (oldest part of the monastery), the Chapel of Saint Odilia with the sarcophagus and relics of Saint Odilia, the terrace with a magnificent view, the 17th-century sundial, the Chapel of Tears (Merovingian graves), and the Chapel of Angels from the 12th century.
The place Mühlbach and the chapel on Ottilienberg near Eppingen on the edge of the Stromberg were closely connected to the monastery in the Vosges. Link:
The Pagan Wall (Mur Païen)
This is one of the largest monuments in Northern Europe. The wall is about 11 kilometers long and consists of approximately 300,000 partly enormous stone blocks, with a width of about 1.70 m and a height of up to three meters.
“The Mur Païen is one of the most mysterious sites in Alsace. Even the date when this strange wall was built gives cause for discussion. According to recent archaeological studies, the wall was built in the 6th and 7th centuries, ...”. However, Odilienberg was presumably already inhabited during the Neolithic and Celtic periods, certainly since the Bronze Age (2200–800 BC). The circular hiking trail mainly follows this wall.
https://www.tourisme-eguisheim-rouffach.com/DE/Der-heidnischen-Mauer-f258000891.html
Dreistein Castle
The ruins of Dreistein Castle (French: Château de Dreistein), on the edge of this tour, stand on a rock spur about one kilometer west of the Hohenburg Monastery on Odilienberg. Although privately owned, the castle ruins are freely accessible at any time.
God’s Concrete
Partly you also see the so-called "God's concrete," which consists of river pebbles bonded into a conglomerate. It is therefore made up of many individual round stones. It's called God's concrete because in the past, no one could explain this phenomenon, and so it was attributed to God.
Author’s recommendation
The "Eppingen - Along the Eppinger Lines" route, which leads to the Swabian defensive lines and the Ottilien Monastery of the Stromberg, can be found here:
Derived from the technical difficulty and the stamina requirements.
Track types
Rest stops
Restaurant du Mont Sainte-OdileSafety information
Unproblematic. Do not climb on rocks!Tips and suggestions
A story about the Ottilien chapel:
The legend of Saint Ottilie primarily does not intend to list historical truths and facts but rather to highlight the special features and the character of a person.
Saint Ottilie lived around 700. Her father was a duke who ruled territories in Alsace, Breisgau, and Swabia. On one hand, he was a devout Christian, on the other hand, a warlike man known for his violence. He and his wife lived at Hohenburg Castle with an extended view into Alsace.
After years of childlessness, his wife gave birth to her first child. It was a girl and not the hoped-for son. Furthermore, she was blind. Disappointed and full of anger and rage, he ordered the child to be killed immediately. The mother defied the ruthless order and had the blind girl brought to her sister, who was an abbess in a monastery. An angel instructed the wandering bishop Erhard of Regensburg to come to this monastery and baptize the girl. Then the miracle happened. As the baptismal water flowed over the face of the baptized, the blind girl opened her eyes and could see. Her name was Ottilie.
Ottilie stayed in the monastery and was educated. However, she was homesick and asked her younger brother Hugo to bring her back to the castle. The whole action was not agreed with the father, and so he was so enraged that he killed his own son on the spot. Stunned by grief and pain, Ottilie pleaded to God. And again a miracle happened, for God brought the dead Hugo back to life.
Time passed, and Ottilie was to marry a young nobleman according to the father's instructions. But she had long since decided to dedicate her life to God and help the poor and sick. Secretly Ottilie fled the castle and hid in a cave. However, the father pursued her with his knights because he wanted to kill her. In her distress, she prayed to God for help. Then the cave entrance closed by falling stones.
Severely injured by the jagged stones, the hard-hearted attitude of the father changed, as he finally recognized that God himself was protectively holding His hand over the once-blind girl and reconciled with his daughter. She received from him Hohenburg, today named after her Ottilienberg, where she founded a convent and became the first abbess there.
Ottilie is considered the patron saint of Alsace and is called upon by the blind and people with visual impairments for help.
Roadbook
Basically follow the hiking signs of the "Sentier du Mur Païen." It is a yellow cross on a white background (St. Andrew's cross), often with the addition "Circuit Mur Païen." The official tourist route is supplemented by the section around the Rocks of the Giants. These are impressive sandstone rock formations that were significant in the construction of the "Pagan Wall." Additionally, the walk through the monastery complex is added to the total route.
You can also divide the entire tour into a northern loop and a southern loop and hike the entire route twice. The northern loop is about 8 km long, the southern loop about 4 km.
Source Sainte Odile
Sanctuaire du Mont Sainte-Odile
Restaurant du Mont Sainte-Odile
Toilettes publiques - Sanctuaire du Mont Sainte-Odile
Basilique Notre-Dame de l'Assomption
Mont Sainte-Odile
Restaurant Hostellerie du Mont Sainte-Odile
Heidenmauer
Château du Hagelschloss
Le Château du Dreistein
Public transport
Public-transport-friendly
Bus service to the monastery. For example, in the season with bus line 257 from Strasbourg.Directions
When driving to Odilienberg, you will among others use the French highway A35. It is, like very few highways, toll-free (status: 9.10.2025).Parking
Spacious and several parking spaces on siteCoordinates
Book recommendations for this region:
Equipment
Sturdy shoes, possibly sticks, are always advisable!Localization
Derived from the technical difficulty and the stamina requirements.
User Questions