Winkel: Cultural History and Hiking Trails

Winkel brings together traces of local and monastic history with specific hiking routes. When planning your trip, you can therefore focus on two themes: historic buildings and their origins, or trails whose distances and seasonal conditions are described. If you are looking for a hotel in Winkel, these themes can help you choose a destination that suits your interests.

Église Saint-Laurent and Wartkapelle

The Église Saint-Laurent was built from 1786 and consecrated on 14 September 1788. Its style is Cistercian Baroque, associated with the influence of Lucelle Abbey. Two Baroque side altars come from the former Lucelle Abbey and are classified as historic monuments. The dates of construction and consecration, together with the furnishings, offer different insights into the church’s history: you can explore both its origins and its connection to the abbey.

Another historic destination is the Wartkapelle, east of Winkel. It is built against a rock and stands on the site of a former grange belonging to Lucelle Abbey. After the Armagnacs destroyed the chapel in a fire in 1444–1445, Lucelle Monastery rebuilt it around 1460. Restoration work followed in 1956 and again in 2019 and 2020. These dates distinguish the early rebuilding from later work and make the chapel’s long history easier to trace.

Hiking trails with history and varied distances

The Sentier des Marocains is a tourist hiking trail in Winkel that explores local history and cultural heritage. This includes the Maginot Line: its remains include casemates, anti-tank positions and shelters. The trail offers three circular routes measuring 2.6, 3.6 and 5.6 kilometres. You can choose between three stated route lengths without treating the routes as identical.

La Charrière is the starting point for numerous hiking trails, including the Sentier des Marocains and the Allée des Hêtres. Nearby, in Ligsdorf, a marked circular route along the Allée des Hêtres covers six kilometres and has an elevation gain of 160 metres; the starting point is the Charrière car park. The Allée des Hêtres is in the Saint-Pierre-Lucelle state forest. It is home to around 40 beech trees that are more than 150 years old. The two details given for the circular route—distance and elevation gain—offer another specific point of reference alongside the Sentier des Marocains’ choice of route lengths.

Landscape, winter trails and getting there

The landscape can also be understood through a distinctive geographical reference point: the Ill rises in Winkel at an elevation of around 600 metres, on the northern slope of the Glaserberg anticline, in the northern foothills of the Jura. The approximate elevation and the location on the northern slope describe the river’s source, while the trails and buildings offer other ways to explore the area.

In winter, two snowshoe trails and Nordic routes are signposted in Winkel. The Winkel Nordic Site comprises two ungroomed Nordic trails for ski touring or cross-country skiing. They are signposted and range from 2.5 to 6.5 kilometres in length. These activities are seasonal and depend on snow conditions, so take this into account when planning. The winter routes and the circular trails exploring local history therefore differ both in season and activity.

Winkel is regularly served by a bus or tram line. If travelling by bus or tram, it is advisable to check the timetable for your travel day. This gives you several specific points to consider when choosing a destination: historic buildings, routes of varying lengths, a nearby circular route with a stated elevation gain, and seasonal winter trails.

Discover more destinations: Wolschwiller, Mittelwihr, Rimbachzell, Ranspach, Galfingue, Strueth, Wintzenheim, Lutterbach.

Back to the regional travel overview: Haut-Rhin.