Wintzenheim: Culture, Gardens and Trails

Wintzenheim offers travelers a range of attractions: views and history at Château du Hohlandsbourg, historic buildings, gardens, and trails for hiking and cycling. If you’re looking for a hotel in Wintzenheim, you can start by considering which of these interests you want to shape your stay. The options range from an interactive tour of a site’s history to hikes of varying durations and distances.

Views, Garden and Forest

Château du Hohlandsbourg stands at an elevation of 620 meters and offers 360-degree views of the Black Forest, the Alsace Plain, and the Vosges. The site combines these expansive views with its own historical focus: a playful, interactive, scenographic tour presents its history and development from its beginnings in the Bronze Age to the present day.

Vallon d’Aspach is located near La Forge in the municipal forest of Wintzenheim. There are three fishing ponds, a forester’s house, picnic areas, and a botanical trail. Starting at the La Forge forester’s house, the trail follows the cycle path and passes through the forest on an easy hike of about an hour. Four routes, ranging from 10 to 34 kilometers in length, are also accessible from Vallon d’Aspach.

Parc Kiener in La Forge offers a different kind of green space: this 14-hectare mixed garden is enclosed by a circular path that loops around the historic garden. American tulip trees, giant sequoias, and cedars have been preserved there. These trees represent the range of plants used in the park’s design during the time of landscape gardener Auguste-Napoléon Baumann (1804–1884). The garden combines a stroll with a vivid impression of historic landscape design.

Buildings and History

In addition to the tour itself, Château du Hohlandsbourg offers self-guided and guided visits, as well as exhibitions. There are also numerous festive, cultural, and recreational events, most of them with a medieval focus. The program may vary by season. If you’d like to plan your visit around an event, it’s a good idea to check the latest event dates in advance.

Other buildings offer different historical connections: Château du Pflixbourg was first mentioned in 1220. The 13th-century Thurnburg now serves as Wintzenheim’s town hall and was long referred to as a “castle.”

In the Logelbach district, the Herzog Chapel is a rare example of French Neo-Gothic architecture in Alsace; it is listed in the supplementary inventory of historic monuments. The district’s parish church is Neoclassical in style and features numerous stucco decorations and ornamental moldings. It was the first church in Alsace and the second in France to be built from reinforced concrete. Together, the chapel and church illustrate different aspects of architectural history.

Hiking, Cycling and Wine

The hiking options are easy to distinguish when planning your time: the botanical trail in Vallon d’Aspach takes about an hour. “Balades autour des châteaux” comprises four easy circular hikes, open to everyone, each lasting about 1.5 hours. Four additional routes ranging from 10 to 34 kilometers are available from Vallon; check trail conditions before setting out. The selection therefore ranges from shorter loops to longer routes.

Other activities are specifically based in the Canton of Wintzenheim. “Bicyclette go!” offers two circular routes for exploring the canton’s vineyards, as well as family-friendly routes. “Canton en balade” features family-friendly circular trails that start in the canton’s ten municipalities. Both offerings can help you plan if you want to focus on hiking or cycling.

The Route Gourmande in the Canton of Wintzenheim offers a different experience: winemakers invite visitors into their cellars to taste their grape varieties and learn about their expertise. It complements the buildings, gardens, and trails with an offering centered on meeting winemakers and learning about wine.

Discover more destinations: Ammerschwihr, Soultzeren, Levoncourt, Saint-Louis, Eschbach-Au-Val, Freland, Kembs, Oderen.

Back to the regional travel overview: Haut-Rhin.