Mouterhouse: Nature, Trails and Heritage

For a stay in Mouterhouse, natural surroundings, walking trails, Vélorail and architectural history offer different points of interest. If you’re looking for a hotel for your trip, you can start by thinking about which of these themes you’d like to shape your stay: a walk to caves, a seasonal outing, or the churches and chapels and their history.

Nature Reserve and Landscape

The Rochers et tourbières du Pays de Bitche nature reserve consists of 26 separate areas and lies entirely within the Northern Vosges Regional Nature Park. Mouterhouse is one of the six municipalities included in the reserve. The name refers to rocks and peatlands: the peatland complexes are often associated with ponds, wet forests and sandstone outcrops in the Vosges. The reserve also protects pink sandstone cliffs where peregrine falcons nest. The landscape thus includes a range of wet habitats as well as rocky areas where birds nest.

Walking Trail and Vélorail

Le sentier des grottes is a 7 km circular trail through Lemberg and Mouterhouse. It follows forest paths past springs, caves and some Gallo-Roman remains. The caves visited along the route include Krippenfelsen, Chorfelsen and Hasslingerfelsen. This makes it possible to understand the trail both as a circular route and through its specific natural and historical landmarks.

The Vélorail route is also 7 km long, but it is a different activity: it runs from Bitche to level crossing 71 in the Mouterhouse forest. The forest ride takes about an hour and is only available during the summer season. So when comparing the two routes, the distance alone is not the only factor: Le sentier des grottes is a circular trail through two municipalities, while the Vélorail route is a ride between the stated endpoints.

Fishing Pond: Season and Rules

The Mouterhouse fishing pond is open from early March to mid-November. It is home to trout, pike, perch, roach, catfish and carp. You need a fishing permit to fish there; it is available on site. Swimming is prohibited. This information can help you plan a visit around the activity you have in mind. Check the opening information before you travel and take the pond’s season into account.

Churches and Chapels

The parish church of Saint James the Greater was built on Langenberg under the administration of Canon Manges to replace the forge chapel, which had become too small. The chapel had been rebuilt in 1763–1764 at the “gros marteau.” The building history thus links the purpose of the parish church with the story of its predecessor.

The simple Gothic chapel of Notre-Dame de la Miséricorde is at the entrance to Mouterhouse from the direction of Lemberg; its façade features a sundial. The altar holds an early 18th-century statue carved from a single lime tree trunk. Its location, architectural detail and statue offer different ways to explore the building and its furnishings.

Discover more destinations: Maizières-Lès-Metz, Roussy-Le-Village, Hanviller, Abreschviller, Longeville-Lès-Metz, Sarreguemines, Le Ban-Saint-Martin, Bousse.

For the regional travel overview: Moselle.