In the footsteps of Vauban

Leave Lichtenberg and its castle behind you and continue on the Traversée du Massif des Vosges to the charming village of La Petite Pierre.

This fourth stage alternates between paths and tracks through the forest. Pass through the small village of Wimmenau and discover the Scherer house, also known as the "Swiss house". As you leave Wimmenau, you'll come across an astonishing architectural and artistic installation known as the "landscape window". Like a photo frame, this portico-shaped work invites you to contemplate the landscape offered by the village's wide clearing.

Halfway between the villages of Wimmenau and La Petite-Pierre, you'll come across the astonishing Rocher de l'Ochsenstall, which can be translated as "ox barn". If you look at its hollows, you can see that the rock served as shelter for the animals when the shepherds took their flocks to pasture.

In the heart of nature, the charming village of La Petite Pierre will be your stopover for the night.
The village is home to several museums and hosts a renowned jazz festival every year. If you're a fan of religious art, don't miss the simultaneous church of Notre Dame de l'Assomption and its 15th-century frescoes.
More unusual, the Maison de garde, known as the Maison des Païens, surrounded by its garden, offers a beautiful view of the surrounding forest. This Renaissance-style building is one of the few of its kind in Alsace!
But it is above all the Château de La Petite Pierre that catches the eye of visitors. Both it and the village fortifications were extensively modified by Vauban in the 17th century. La Petite Pierre and its castle were a strategic crossing point between Alsace and Lorraine that needed to be strengthened and modernised. Enter the castle's outer courtyard, the only part open to visitors, before returning to the village for the night.