2014 Presskit WW One Vosges Front
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PRESS KIT PRESSEMAPPE ©C. Meyer/ADT68 Memory tourism 1914-1918 ON THE VOSGES FRONT 2014 CONTENT Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………………… 3 The historical background ……………………………..…………………………………………… 4 The sites ………………………………………………………………………….………………………… 5 Cultural projects and events………………….………………….……….……………………… 7 Publications, Internet und Apps ……………………..………………………………………… 8 Memory tourism information …………………………………………………………………… 9 Our contacts……………………….……………..……………………………………………………… 11 2/11 INTRODUCTION With the hundredth-anniversary of the First World War to commemorate, a firm initiation has been taken to focus on recollection and remembrance as well as highlighting the specific French-German context. This is all being organized by the Agence de Développement Touristique de Haute-Alsace and the Conseil Général des Vosges having jointly worked together to implement actions and projects along with the local Vosges Mountain tourism actors, allowing access to the historic memorial sites on the Vosges front line in an instructive, accessible and well-planned manner. This common approach resolves the interdepartmental tourism development challenge by relying on already-existing investments, reinforcing the beauty of this area and notably opening the door to consolidating French-German relations through dialogue and recognition of a shared European heritage. Eight community of communes eagerly stepped forward around 11 memory sites: In the Vosges Department: Roche Mère Henry (CC Senones Region), Chapelotte (CC Plaine Valley), Fontenelle (CC Hure Valley) For the Upper Rhine Department: Hartmannswillerkopf or Vieil Armand (CMNHWK), Linge (Memorial Association of Linge and the commune of Orbey), Tête des Faux (commune of Lapoutroie) Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines Pass and Tête du Violu (CC Val d’Argent) Mittlach’s Ambulance Alpine project (CC Munster Valley), Uffholtz Abri-mémoire (CC Cernay and surroundings) Romanian Military Cemetery in Soultzmatt (commune of Soultzmatt) Given that the Vosges Mountains were the only French or German mountain front during the 14-18 war , given the logistics and transport infrastructures and technologies, and given the landscape impacts and strategic challenges on top of the climatic and geographical hardships, the entire interdepartmental project “ Tourisme de mémoire 14-18 ” (Memory Tourism 14-18) requested, and obtained in 2011, the label “ Pôle d’Excellence Rurale – PER” (Centre of Rural Excellence). The PER “ Tourisme de mémoire 14-18 ” invested an estimated total of 2,523,166 €. The PER label is accompanied by a specific State backing of 727,689 € and a financial aid from the General Councils and Regions involved. 3/11 THE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND The Vosges Mountains, from the Chapelotte Pass to Sundgau, boasts an incredibly rich and diverse history. Between 1870 and 1945, the region suffered through three major wars, hence its deserved merit of holding a special place within the European historic framework. As opposed to the other battle fields during the World War I the Vosges Mountains stood out being the only mountain front during the 14-18 war on the German and French side, with infrastructures and transport technologies, landscape impacts and strategic challenges due to climatic and geographical © B. Naegelen - hardships. The scope and technical quality for preserving war traces ADT68 (trenches, shelters, galleries, fortified structures, old trees …) gives the former Vosges front the ideal setting for a genuine “open-air museum”. A unique mountain front Alsace and a part of Lorraine were annexed by the German Empire at the time of the Frankfort Treaty in May 1871. These “lost” provinces were the source of much patriotic and nationalistic literature. As of August 4, 1914, the French army was given the order to march forward into Alsace and seize the major valleys and towns. Mulhouse was occupied on August 8, evacuated the next day, then taken back on August 17 to be definitely abandoned on August 25. Munster was besieged by the French troops on August 17 and evacuated on September 3, with reconnaissance troops having even succeeded in getting near the outskirts of Colmar. After maneuver warfare, the front stabilized during the months of October and November. The Saint Amarin and Masevaux Valleys remained French. In the Lorraine Vosges area, after the initial combat fighting on either side of the Vosges passes, the lines stuck to the border ridge (Violu), to a natural observation point (Fontenelle, Tête des Faux) or to a strategic position (Chapelotte Pass, Roche Mère Henry). Attacks in 1915 made these place names well-known with the general public. The Vosges Mountains became an unprecedented technically-challenging battle field: how to organize positions at a thousand metres in altitude (Tête des Faux or Violu) and just metres away from the enemy? Railways, cable cars, funiculars (Donon, Violu, Tête des Faux, Chapelotte) and roads (including notably the infamous Crêtes road) are all the incredible technical exploits which transported food, concrete and destruction vehicles, and whose remnants are still visible on the ground. In the Alsace Vosges, 1915 was also a year of great confrontation with the aim of seizing the summits, allowing for a control of the valleys and their communication channels. In the spring, Hartmannswillerkopf, Reichackerkopf, the Metzeral Valley and Sillackerkopf, Anlasswasen and Hilsenfirst, became part of military reports with their long lists of dead, injured or missing soldiers. In the summer, the Lingekopf-Schratzmaennele-Barrenkopf Battle raged on while Hartmannswillerkopf was regularly set ablaze, and fighting conditions were most unbearable due to the mountainous areas and dense forests. The German army had the time to strengthen their occupied summit positions whereas the French army was in very unstable and dangerous conditions, with the official doctrine being “offensive at all costs”. 4/11 THE SITES The Vosges Mountains, whose front line starts at the Swiss border near Kilometre Zero , is dominated by an impressive rocky overhang overlooking the southern part of the Alsace plain, Hartmannswillerkopf, one of the 4 national monuments from the World War I. It’s reached by going through the village of Uffholtz whose Abri-Mémoire is considered as an invaluable stop before exploring this mountain referred to as a “man-eater” which represents the most imposing historic site of the © JL Delpal - ADT68 Vosges Mountains. The Musée Serret , set in a former courthouse which was used during World War I as a mobile Alsace hospital, was inaugurated in 1973 in Saint-Amarin and documents the fighting and soldiers’ living conditions. Following along the old front line towards Noble Valley, there is the largest Romanian military cemetery in France, the Soultzmatt Romanian Military Cemetery , inaugurated in 1924 by King Ferdinand and Queen Marie of Romania. In the Munster Valley, which was nearly totally destroyed during the 1915 fighting, the Musée du Linge embodies mountain warfare. Within its perfectly-preserved network, the museum depicts French assaults which began on July 20, 1915 and finished at the end of October. On the border of the Munster Valley, in the only village which re-became and remained French as of 1915, Mittlach’s Ambulance Alpine is installed in the town hall and alludes to less known battles around Metzeral in June 1915. On the other side of the Orbey Valley, the Tête des Faux is a summit reaching 1,220 meters and was occupied by the Germans in 1914. The Christmas battle in 1914, fought under extreme winter-weather conditions, incapacitated 600 men in one night. But the Germans built remarkable strongholds which froze the situation until the Armistice. Following along the former trench line, the Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines Pass, a border post between France and Germany, was in German hands as of 1914. The surrounding summits, the Bernhardstein, the Tête du Violu and the “ Côte 607 ” (a hillside) became the stage of on- going low-level hostilities. 5/11 The Musée de Saint-Dié-des-Vosges boasts some exceptional objects regarding the 14-18 military history. Ten glass cases contain uniforms, weapons, munitions and documents from the Meurthe Battle and fighting in Chipotte. The saga of Fonck and Guynemer, two flying aces, is unfolded via a unique collection. On the commune of Ban-de-Sapt in the Hure Valley, the upper part of the Fontenelle hill became a tactical struggle for position which soon became mine warfare. A monument was inaugurated in 1925 near the cemetery where 2,348 French soldiers are buried. © JL Delpal - ADT68 From August 28 to September 9, 1914, the Chipotte Pass sector witnessed much close combat fighting. This sector had passed five times between the French and German hands with 4,000 French soldiers being killed. The Poilus (informal term for the French infantrymen during World War I) referred to this area as “ le trou de l’enfer ” (Hell’s hole). This French victory, along with that of the Marne, essentially caused the Germans to fail in their invasion attempt and this maneuver warfare became a tactical struggle for position. The Chipotte cemetery recalls the heroic sacrifices of French soldiers. It was in the Senones Valley, former capital of the Principality of Salm and near Moyenmoutier, that the Germans established themselves as of September 1914. The Roche Mère Henry spur, jutting out from the cliff, became a regular target of French attacks until January 1915. North of this military presence between the Donon and Roan-l’Etape summits, Chapelotte