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Author’s recommendation
Those who did not manage on arrival the day before should not miss a visit to Lichtenberg Castle (large fortress with a 360° panorama).
Also worthwhile is a detour via Englishberg. The two viewpoints offer excellent resting places.
Take time for a stroll through the old town of La Petite-Pierre with Luetzelstein Castle, which was expanded into a fortress by Vauban.
There is a bakery in Wimmenau, while in Lichtenberg at the village square there is only a bread vending machine (refilled daily).
Derived from the technical difficulty and the stamina requirements.
Track types
Show elevation profileRest stops
Château de LichtenbergRestaurant Au Lion d'Or
Restaurant Au grès du marché
Restaurant Les Vosges
Restaurant Aux Trois Roses
Tips and suggestions
Lichtenberg was for centuries one of the most important power centers of Alsace thanks to its large castle complex. The castle survived all sieges of the Thirty Years' War, was not destroyed, and was later expanded into a mountain fortress by Vauban. The now outdated fortress was only partially destroyed during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870.
The small town of La Petite Pierre has only about 700 inhabitants and was founded around 1200. The castle was occupied by Swedes and French during the Thirty Years' War and demolished in 1674. Vauban rebuilt it as a fortress so that it could not be conquered by Russian troops in 1814. However, Württemberg soldiers destroyed it in 1870.
Roadbook
From the village square in Lichtenberg, we followed the red rectangle along Rue du Château for about 250 m westward and then turned into a small street heading south. Soon in the forest, we reached the D 181, where we walked briefly south and then reached Wimmenau on the other side of the street via a hillside path heading west. While crossing the village, we passed the bakery on Rue de la Gare, where we restocked our provisions.
Shortly after the village, we left the GR 53 – red rectangle marking and climbed up to Englishberg following the red-white-red rectangle. An unpleasantly cool wind drove us away from the western viewpoint, so we moved to the eastern rock to rest in the wind shelter. We continued on the red-white-red rectangle until the next right fork, which led us back to the GR 53 – red rectangle marking.
Heading southwest on the GR 53 marking, we first admired the Rocher de l'Ochsenstall with an ideal resting place and bench before continuing to Erckartswiller. The GR 53 runs again through the village into the forest via Langerain to the Kirchberg district of La Petite Pierre. Through the residential area and later a path, we arrived at La Petite Pierre.
Our route first took us to the upper town with a castle, where there are some places to eat nearby. After the final rest, we returned on the same path to the "center," where we stayed overnight at Hôtel-Restaurant Aux Trois Roses.
Maison de l'histoire et des traditions de la Haute-Moder
Maison des Païens
Restaurant Au Lion d'Or
Musée du Sceau Alsacien
Restaurant Au grès du marché
Musée du Sceau
Château de La Petite Pierre - Maison du Parc
Restaurant Les Vosges
Restaurant Aux Trois Roses
Public transport
Lichtenberg:
By train from Strasbourg and Metz to Ingwiller station, then bus (Car TER) line Ingwiller - Lichtenberg with few buses per day.
La Petite Pierre:
No regular bus service: every 4 hours from Saverne to Drulingen with line 410, then further with line 401 to La Petite Pierre.
Directions
Lichtenberg:
Arrival by car is via the A 65 (exit Kandel South, then via B 9 and later A 35 south to exit 55 Rounzenheim Haguenau. The D 1063 runs north around Haguenau to the D 1062, which one follows to Gundershoffen. Through Zinswiller and Rothbach you reach Lichtenberg.
An alternative is from the A 5, exit 51 Baden-Baden via the B 500 towards France, after the border onto the D 4, which leads to the A 35. Continue south to exit 55 Rounzenheim Haguenau and then follow as above.
La Petite Pierre:
By car from the A 5, exit 51 Baden-Baden via the B 500 towards France, after the border onto the D 4, which leads to the A 35. Drive south to the A4, follow it north to exit Schwindratzheim, then via D 7 to La Petite Pierre.
Parking
Lichtenberg:
In front of the town hall at Place de l'Église
La Petite Pierre:
Free at the Tourist Office in front of the upper town
Coordinates
Book recommendation by the author
Rother Hiking Guide
Crossing the Vosges
On the GR 53 / 5 from Wissembourg to Belfort
ISBN 978-3-7633-4407-9
Author’s map recommendations
IGN 3714 ET La Petite Pierre, Niederbronn-les-Bains
France topographic hiking maps 1:25,000
Book recommendations for this region:
Localization
Derived from the technical difficulty and the stamina requirements.
User Questions