Hartmannswillerkopf, also known as the Vieil Armand (French) or Hartmannsweiler Kopf (German; English: Hartmansweiler Head) is a pyramidal rocky spur in the

Vosges mountains The Vosges ( , ; german: Vogesen ; Franconian and gsw, Vogese) are a range of low mountains in Eastern France, near its border with Germany. Together with the Palatine Forest to the north on the German side of the border, they form a single ...

of the

Grand Est Grand Est (; gsw-FR, Grossa Oschta; Moselle Franconian/ lb, Grouss Osten; Rhine Franconian: ''Groß Oschte''; german: Großer Osten ; en, "Great East") is an administrative region in Northeastern France. It superseded three former administra ...

region,

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. The peak stands at overlooking the Rhine valley. At Hartmannswillerkopf stands a national monument of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

for the fighting which took place in the trenches here.

Mountain peak

The peak is located from Cernay and north-west of

Mulhouse Mulhouse (; Alsatian: or , ; ; meaning '' mill house'') is a city of the Haut-Rhin department, in the Grand Est region, eastern France, close to the Swiss and German borders. It is the largest city in Haut-Rhin and second largest in Alsace a ...

. The mountain is shared by the towns of Hartmannswiller, Wuenheim,

Wattwiller Wattwiller ( gsw, Wǎttwillr; ger, Wattweiler) is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department of the Grand Est region, which lies in the north-eastern part of France. Located near the Vosges mountain rocky spur of Hartmannswillerkopf, Wattwiller ...

and

Uffholtz Uffholtz ( gsw, Üffholz; ) is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. The organist and composer Aloÿs Claussmann (1850–1926) was born in Uffholtz. File:Uffholtz, Eglise Saint-Erasme.jpg, Saint Erasmus Ch ...

Battle

The French and

Germans , native_name_lang = de , region1 = , pop1 = 72,650,269 , region2 = , pop2 = 534,000 , region3 = , pop3 = 157,000 3,322,405 , region4 = , pop4 = ...

fought for control of the mountain peak during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Fighting took place throughout 1915. An estimated 25,000 French soldiers died there. After about 11 months of fierce combat, both sides began to focus most of their attention farther north on the Western Front. Only enough men to hold the lines were left at Hartmannswillerkopf. The lines remained relatively stable for the remainder of the war and generally only artillery exchanges took place.

National monument

Today, the area is a French national monument. There is a museum and a cemetery at the site, and it is also possible to explore the extensive trench system. Because the lines were static for such a long period, the trenches are very well preserved, especially on the German side of the front line. There is a small memorial on the D431 north of Vieil Armand, commemorating

Halifax bomber The Handley Page Halifax is a British Royal Air Force (RAF) four-engined heavy bomber of the World War II, Second World War. It was developed by Handley Page to the same specification as the contemporary twin-engine Avro Manchester. The Halifa ...

MZ807 of No. 433 Squadron RCAF, which crashed nearby in December 1944. On 3 August 2014, French President Francois Hollande and German President

Joachim Gauck Joachim Wilhelm Gauck (; born 24 January 1940) is a German politician and civil rights activist who served as President of Germany from 2012 to 2017. A former Lutheran pastor, he came to prominence as an anti-communist civil rights activist in E ...

together marked the centenary of Germany's declaration of war on France by laying the first stone of a memorial at Hartmannswillerkopf, for French and German soldiers killed in this area during the war. On 10 November 2017 French President Emmanuel Macron and German President

Frank-Walter Steinmeier Frank-Walter Steinmeier (; born 5 January 1956) is a German politician serving as President of Germany since 19 March 2017. He was previously Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2005 to 2009 and again from 2013 to 2017, as well as Vice Chan ...

inaugurated the new memorial.

Gallery

Image:31139 Hartmannswillerkopf 1989.jpg, The national Monument Image:Hartmannsweilerkopf_Cemetery.jpg, Hartmannswillerkopf cemetery File:Gedenkstaette Hartmannswillerkopf.jpg, Hartmannswillerkopf cemetery File:2008 05 30 HWK-Monument Serret.JPG, Monument to General

References

External links

official website of the National Monument of the Hartmannswillerkopf (English)

The Memorial Centre in Uffholtz (French)

{{Authority control World War I memorials in France Buildings and structures in Haut-Rhin Mountains of Haut-Rhin Monuments historiques of Haut-Rhin Museums in Haut-Rhin Geography of Haut-Rhin Tourist attractions in Haut-Rhin World War I museums in France Mountains under 1000 metres Mountains of the Vosges Hartmannswillerkopf