Point de vue du sommet du Vieil Armand

This French observation post was restored in this place in 1985, it was then on the southern slope.
It is of the "Molehill" type, model OD 92-95
in the shape of a hemisphere, with a rotating visor.
After the war, these objects were incorporated into the Maginot Line or scrapped.
I find it very good to incorporate such objects into this system, it takes on a different meaning in a place where it once stood more than 100 years ago than in a museum.

The Hartmannswillerkopf was bitterly contested between the Germans and the French during the First World War because of its exposed and strategically favorable location with a view of the Alsatian and Upper Rhine plains.

The battle for the summit began on December 31, 1914. The heaviest fighting took place on 19/20. January 26th, March 25th and 26th April and 21./22. December 1915. During the four years of the war, the hilltop changed hands four times. From about mid-1916 both sides reduced their troops there; more intense fighting took place in the more northerly sectors of the front. From 1916 onwards there were essentially only artillery duels. Both sides limited themselves to keeping their lines.

30,000 French and German soldiers died in the entrenchment battles at Hartmannswillerkopf; about twice as many were injured. They did not lead to a result for either side and now stand for the futility of war. The Hartmannswillerkopf has occasionally been called the "mountain of death".

On August 3, 2014, the 100th anniversary of Germany's declaration of war on France (World War I), Federal President Joachim Gauck and French President François Hollande met at Hartmannswillerkopf. On November 10, 2017, Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and President Emmanuel Macron inaugurated a joint Franco-German museum to commemorate the battles.

The magnificent natural landscape of the Vosges Mountains stands in sharp contrast to the hell unleashed by humans that raged here a good 100 years ago. The trenches, barbed wire fence and bunker facilities, but even more so the many crosses of the military cemetery, could be reason enough to rethink the concept of "Europe of the Fatherland" thoroughly.
However, the many paths with some great views to the Grand Ballon, over the Rhine Valley and over to the Black Forest are definitely highly recommended. Also, the museum, located directly on the parking lot, is definitely worth a visit.