Wachtfelsen, le rocher de Mercure du Wasenbourg

Niederbronn-les-Bains

Near the ruins of the château de Wasenbourg, above Niederbronn-les-Bains, a sandstone spur overlooks the forest: the Wachtfelsen, the ‘lookout rock’. In the Middle Ages it was used as an observation post. The rock also bears the remains of a Gallo-Roman temple dedicated to Mercury, which is linked to the origin of the castle. In 1899, excavations by Dr Mehlis uncovered there a bas-relief of Mercury and fragments of tiles and pottery, kept in the Niederbronn museum. A stele of Mercury in Vosges sandstone, from the Wasenbourg, is displayed at the Maison de l'archéologie des Vosges du Nord. Parts of the temple were reassembled in the 19th century, and the date of the temple is not established in the notices: a hiking guide puts forward the 2nd and 3rd centuries. Nearby, the regional nature park also mentions cup-marked stones, without giving them a date. The castle, built around 1275, has been listed as a historic monument since 1898 and was destroyed by the troops of Louis XIV in 1677.

Parc naturel régional des Vosges du Nord — circuit du Wasenbourg ↗

Getting there: Reached on foot from Niederbronn-les-Bains. The ‘Wasenbourg’ circuit of the Northern Vosges regional nature park is 12.3 km (about 3 h 30, 465 m of ascent, from 189 to 535 m), waymarked by the Club Vosgien, and passes the Wachtfelsen. The castle is at 410 m. The Pays de Barr leaflet indicates a free visit, open all year (about 15 min on site, walking shoes advised), by a gravelled road. Part of the loop crosses a protected biotope along the Falkensteinerbach. The coordinates give the castle, next to the rock. The Roman remains are hard to read: the stele and the bas-relief of Mercury are at the Maison de l'archéologie des Vosges du Nord, in Niederbronn.

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

Ambient sound