The Hartmannswillerkopf site

A strategic battlefield during the First World War

The Hartmannswillerkopf mountain (nicknamed "Vieil Armand" by French troops) was one of the main focal points of the fighting in the Vosges area during the First World War. The French and German armies fought bitterly over this observation post looking out across the Alsatian plain. In 1915 alone, the hilltop changed hands four times. Fighting here continued throughout the war on a battlefield devastated by shells, gas and flame throwers. Conquest of the hill was intended to guarantee the success of a French offensive in the Mulhouse area. The exact number of dead will never be known, but at least 30,000 soldiers died here. A memorial comprising a crypt containing the bones of 12,000 unknown soldiers today stands as a tribute to them.

Remarkable defensive fortifications

Even if the fortifications today represent only a quarter of those existing in 1918, they nevertheless remain extremely impressive. The Germans built an incredible fortified system of bunkers, casemates and trenches. A stairway with 560 steps which once took soldiers to the front line today reminds visitors of the horror of the fighting that took place here. At the top of the hill, the magnificent view across the Alsatian plains contrasts starkly with the hell on earth which once existed here.