Cascade et château du Nideck

Oberhaslach

In a wooded cirque of the Northern Vosges, the Nideck brings together two feudal ruins set one above the other and a waterfall of around 25 metres tumbling from a bar of volcanic rock. The upper castle is recorded from 1264 as the property of the burgrave Bourckard; a second castle was built below it in 1336 as a fief of the bishopric of Strasbourg, and the whole passed from hand to hand before being besieged by the people of Strasbourg in 1448 and then ruined by fire in 1636. The place owes its European fame to a legend collected orally in Alsace in the early 19th century, notably by the Strasbourg writer Charlotte Engelhardt-Schweighaeuser: a family of giants lived at the Nideck, and the giant's daughter, having gone down to play in the plain, scooped up in her apron a peasant, his team and his plough, exclaiming that she had found a pretty toy. Her father made her put everything back in its place, explaining that without the ploughman there would be no bread for men or giants alike, and prophesied the disappearance of his own race. The Brothers Grimm included the tale in their Deutsche Sagen in 1816, and in 1831 Adelbert von Chamisso drew from it his ballad Das Riesenspielzeug, which remains the best-known version in the German-speaking world. The valley also fed the imagination of Erckmann-Chatrian and has hosted since 2004 a trail of contemporary stone sculptures.

La légende de la fille du géant du Nideck — Monde légendaire ↗

Getting there : From Oberhaslach, take the D218 towards Wangenbourg; car parks at the Auberge de la Cascade du Nideck (approx. 48.5690, 7.2866) or higher up at the Maison forestière du Nideck (approx. 48.5867, 7.2886). A well-marked forest path leads to the foot of the waterfall in 15 to 30 minutes depending on the starting point; the castle ruins are reached over the heights, above the waterfall. Spectacular flow after rain and in autumn. Take care on wet rocks and near the viewpoint.

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

Ambient sound