Soultzmatt: Wine Routes and Cultural Heritage

Soultzmatt offers several starting points for planning a trip: a tour through the history of winegrowing, a vineyard classified as a Grand Cru, the opportunity to observe fallow deer, and places of remembrance. The history of the local springs and several architectural and cultural monuments also shape the character of the municipality. Which of these topics interests you most can help you decide whether Soultzmatt is the right destination for your stay.

Winegrowing and a walking tour

The Sentier viticole is a 3 km walking tour. It starts behind Soultzmatt town hall and takes approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes. This makes it relatively easy to fit the walk into your stay. The distance describes the route, while the time given is an estimate. Both details are useful for planning, though neither says anything about the trail conditions.

The Zinnkoepflé is a landmark in its own right in the world of winegrowing. The vineyard covers 68 hectares, is classified as an Alsace Grand Cru and reaches an altitude of 430 metres. It is also the highest point in the Alsace winegrowing region. These details highlight different aspects: the area indicates the size of the vineyard, while its elevation and ranking define its place within the winegrowing region. The Sentier viticole, in turn, is described by its route, starting point and estimated duration. This lets you distinguish between a walk with a specified time frame and the vineyard as a destination in its own right.

Nature and remembrance

At Parc à daims, visitors can observe fallow deer in green surroundings. This offers a different focus from the winegrowing walk: here, wildlife observation takes centre stage, while the Sentier viticole is described in terms of a specific distance and estimated walking time. If you are planning your trip around different interests, these two options can help you choose the kind of stay you want.

An important place of remembrance in Soultzmatt is the Romanian Military Cemetery. It commemorates 678 Romanian soldiers who died in German captivity during the First World War. It is also the largest exclusively Romanian military necropolis in France. The number and origins of the soldiers, along with the historical context, give the site a clearly defined focus. The cemetery thus offers a specific reminder of wartime captivity and differs in emphasis from the municipality’s nature and winegrowing attractions.

Monuments and regional history

The Langenstein menhir is another named historic site: it has been classified as a historic monument since 1938. The Chapelle Sainte-Marie, by contrast, is notable for its several construction phases. The chapel is also known as the Chapelle du Schaefertal or Val du Pâtre; its construction phases date to the 14th and 15th centuries, the last quarter of the 16th century and the second quarter of the 18th century. Since 1987, it has been partially protected as a historic monument. Nearby, a Stations of the Cross route follows the Way of St James; it was built by devout winegrowers in 1778. The construction phases, protection status and date of the Stations of the Cross provide different ways to explore the history of these sites.

The Espace des Sources offers a different perspective on Soultzmatt. It documents the history of the local springs through bottles, photographs and labels. It also explains water through topics including its cycle, composition and many uses. The exhibition thus links the history of the springs with fundamental themes relating to water.

The Sources de Soultzmatt also tell a story of change: the spa business gradually gave way to a bottling plant. In 1891, a fire destroyed a large part of the facility, which was subsequently rebuilt. The gradual transition and the later fire followed by reconstruction are two distinct chapters in this history. Together with the Espace des Sources, they offer a way to explore both the facility’s historical development and the themes of water and springs.

Discover more destinations

Wolschwiller: Wolschwiller, Zimmersheim: Zimmersheim, Rodern: Rodern, Mulhouse: Mulhouse, Rimbachzell: Rimbachzell, Wattwiller: Wattwiller, Seppois-le-Bas: Seppois-le-Bas, Markirch: Markirch

For the broader travel overview: Haut-Rhin.