Location 1 – Col du Bonhomme

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Brief History

Directions – From Colmar take the N145 through Kayserberg and Lapoutroie. Col du Bonhomme is reached after passing through the hamlet of Le Bonhomme. As the road flattens out at the crossroads you will see two hotels on opposite corners ahead and a car park on your left. The Route des Crêtes is the road which runs from right to left.

Practical Information – The author last visited the Vosges battlefields in the summer of 2010 when the weather was very hot. It should be noted, however, that snow covers this region during winter months and roads and pathways can become treacherous and even impassable. The author does not recommend visiting the battlefield from December through to February.

Historical Notes – At 949 metres above sea level, Col du Bonhomme was the main route through the Vosges Mountains between Lorraine and Alsace during the First World War. It was the scene of heavy fighting in early September 1914 as the French tried to hold the pass against determined German assaults. During the fighting the local French commander, General Bataille, was killed and there is a small memorial to him and six of his officers across the road from the car park.

The Route des Crêtes (in English the "route of the peaks") crosses the N145 here. It was built by French engineers in 1915 to supply the remote mountainous and forested positions taken up by the French Army in the Vosges.