Wintzenbach: Discover hiking and history

Wintzenbach can be explored through two clearly distinct themes: the Sentier du Gaenseliesel, a named hiking route, and several churches and memorial sites. If you are considering the town as a destination, you can first decide whether outdoor activity or architectural and military history should be the main focus of your stay. The hike comes with specific details about its length, approximate duration, trail marking and route; the town’s history includes churches, monuments and specific historical events. These two aspects can be considered independently.

Hiking the Sentier du Gaenseliesel

The Sentier du Gaenseliesel is 6 km long. It is described as an easy hike with an approximate duration of 1 hour and 30 minutes. This is a guide rather than an exact, minute-by-minute time. For planning your day, length and duration are two different measures: one indicates the distance, while the other gives an approximate time frame. The starting point is the Foyer avicole car park. The route is marked with a red ring.

The route follows a stream, passes through orchards and wooded areas, and is connected to Mothern. The route description therefore offers more than a time and distance: it mentions both landscape features and a connection to a second town. This is useful if, when choosing a hike, you want to consider the route as described as well as your available time.

Churches and architectural history

The Church of Saint-Gilles is a prominent landmark in the town’s architectural history. It has stood on a hill above Wintzenbach for three centuries. Built in 1722, the year is engraved both on the entrance portal and on the sacristy door. The year of construction is thus recorded in two specific places on the building. The church also has an organ made in part by Michel Stiehr. The construction date, inscriptions and organ each highlight a different aspect: the period in which it was built, the year recorded on the building, and a musical instrument.

The Protestant church is located on Rue du Château-de-Bagnac. This provides another clearly identified religious landmark in Wintzenbach besides Saint-Gilles. Whereas Saint-Gilles is notable for its hilltop location, construction date and organ, the Protestant church can be identified by its street address. These different details help distinguish the two churches in the town’s history.

Monuments and wartime events

The memorial sites also represent different stories. The Wintzenbach war memorial was created by François Saure and is considered unique in Alsace. A stele commemorates Captain Pierre Claude; it was inaugurated in 1947. Claude was shot down by the Germans during the Second World War and crashed in a field in Wintzenbach. The year 1947 dates the inauguration of the stele, while the events involving Claude provide the historical context for the commemoration.

Another wartime connection concerns the Lancaster III with serial number ND755. The aircraft crashed northwest of Wintzenbach in October 1944. The eight crew members are buried in Wintzenbach’s Protestant cemetery. To understand the historical context, the crash site and burial place should be distinguished: the crash occurred northwest of Wintzenbach, while the graves are located in the cemetery in Wintzenbach.

Discover more destinations: Wingen-Sur-Moder, Batzendorf, Roppenheim, Seltz, Wangenbourg-Engenthal, Benfeld, Drachenbronn-Birlenbach, Ottersthal.

For the wider travel overview: Bas-Rhin.