Discover Westhouse

Westhouse combines a nature trail with architectural history spanning several centuries. The Wesch’Tour is a 12 km circular trail with eight stops and reaches the Bruch de l’Andlau wetland. Other highlights include the Chapelle du Holzbad St Ulrich, the Eglise St Matthieu and the Maison des Bains. For planning your trip, these highlights can be easily distinguished: the route and nature, the history of individual buildings, and other leisure activities provide different points of reference when choosing a stay in Westhouse.

Wesch’Tour and nature

The Wesch’Tour is a 12 km circular trail with eight stops, each equipped with an information panel. The panels highlight Westhouse’s natural and cultural heritage. The trail can be completed on foot or by bicycle. If you would prefer a shorter route, a 5 km alternative is available. This lets you compare the longer circuit with its eight stops against the shorter route option and choose according to your preferred distance. For a specific outing, it is worth checking the latest route information if the trail’s course or conditions are important for your plans: surfaces and access conditions can change.

The Bruch de l’Andlau, which the Wesch’Tour reaches, is a wetland of meadows and woods where wildlife and protected animal and plant species can be found. The area is designated a Natura 2000 site. This gives the circular trail’s connection with nature a specific setting; cultural heritage is also explicitly among the topics covered by the information panels. If the area’s formal protected status is important for your plans, check it for the latest information.

Architectural history at the chapel and church

The Chapelle du Holzbad St Ulrich is a Romanesque chapel dating from the 12th century. Wall paintings from the 14th century were discovered inside it in 1966. The construction date and year of discovery refer to different aspects: the chapel dates from the 12th century, while the paintings are attributed to the 14th century and were discovered in 1966. This allows you to consider the building’s architecture separately from the history of its wall paintings. The Maison des Bains adjoins the chapel and was built on a site where baths already existed in Roman times. Access to the Maison des Bains should be checked separately.

At the Eglise St Matthieu, it helps to distinguish between the earlier site and the present-day building: today’s church stands on the site of a Romanesque church dating from the 11th century. The Neo-Gothic building was constructed between 1895 and 1897. Medieval remains were also reused in the walls of the present-day church. In contrast to the Chapelle, whose Romanesque construction dates to the 12th century, the Romanesque reference at St Matthieu concerns an earlier church on the same site—not the construction date of the present-day Neo-Gothic building. The reused medieval remains are another part of this architectural history.

Other leisure activities

The Zone de loisirs intergénérationnelle includes a multi-purpose sports field. Day and half-day fishing are available at the APSAN fishing pond in Westhouse. If you plan to fish there, check the current regulations with APSAN beforehand.

Discover more destinations: Petersbach, Dossenheim-Sur-Zinsel, Artolsheim, Olwisheim, Plobsheim, Ingwiller, Benfeld, Ittenheim

For the regional travel overview: Bas-Rhin.