Wurzelstein

Like most passes in the High Vosges, the Col de la Schlucht initially forms a very old national border between the Duchy of Lorraine and the fragmented Landgraviate of Alsace. The direct eastern neighbor were the imperial abbey and the imperial city of Münster in the Gregoriental, which were subject to the bailiwick of Hagenau and enjoyed imperial immediacy, so that the Duke of Lorraine, the imperial abbot and the envoy of the valley community could meet in various colleges at the imperial diet.

With the introduction of the Reformation[1] in the Münster Valley despite the patronage of the Benedictine abbots, the Vosges passes in this region represented less a transition point than a clear, partly desirable dividing line between two culturally and spiritually contrasting communities that had long been difficult to reconcile. Closely linked to this was the millennia-old language border that separates the Alemannic language area from the Romance language area in the west. If you passed the Col de la Schlucht from west to east, you came to a German-speaking Lutheran country with close ties to the Alpine countries, among others. Switzerland and western Austria.[2] This culture shock is difficult to understand today with the sharp decline in regional dialect and religious practice, even though the architectural landscapes on both sides are reminiscent of two clearly differentiated cultural communities.

The pass formed the border between France and the German Empire from 1871 to 1918, and provisionally again between 1940 and 1945. Today the pass lies in the Lorraine municipality of Le Valtin in the canton of Fraize and separates the regions of Lorraine and Alsace.

From the root stone you have a magnificent view over the landscape of the Vosges

If you can and want to climb, you will find a small climbing garden here.