Early in the morning we leave Molsheim in bright and beautiful weather. The trail would take us up to Mt. St-Odilie via Rosheim, with 500 m of altitude gain. We bypass this mountain and stay on the flatter terrain through forest and vines to the small town of Barr.
A look back at the Jesuit Church in Molsheim
Dorlisheim, the neighbouring village of Molsheim
On the left one of the last maize fields, on the right the vineyards already begin.
Vines, vines, vines ...
After crossing the hill, Rosheim comes into view.
Rosheim was a town of the League of Ten Towns (founded in 1354). It has largely preserved its medieval appearance: half-timbered houses and 4 town gates, double town wall. There is a Romanesque house and a Renaissance fountain in the town.
The 12th-century church of St Peter and Paul is a jewel of Romanesque architecture with rich figural decoration.
Renaissance Fountain and Gate Tower
Outside the western gate tower are the church of St-Etienne and the Hôpital St-Jacques. On the site of the present hospital, there was already a pilgrims' hospice with a chapel in 1363. Today, the chapel in the basement of the hospital is dedicated to St. James (entrance through the courtyard). On the passageway above the pavement on the street, a relief depicts St. James as a pilgrim with a large scallop shell.
This St. James window is located in the chapel of the hospital.
Soon after Rosheim, the path leads over a larger vineyard again.
On the descent, the small town of Boersch lies at our feet.
At the entrance to the city (since 1340) stands the "Hintere Tor" (Back City Gate ).
The church and town hall line the main square. Worth seeing: the Renaissance fountain.
We leave the town of Boersch through the "Oberes Tor" (Upper Gate).
After 400 m, we pass the former Benedictine abbey of St-Léonard. Founded in 1109, it was destroyed in 1789.
In 1439, a couple from Boersch founded a hospice for pilgrims and "poor and honest" travellers.
We reach Ottrott, the village at the foot of the Odilienberg mountain.
Church in Ottrott
The path at the foot of the Odilienberg leads us over a vineyard and through a forest. This huge cedar tree particularly caught my eye.
View into the Rhine Valley
We are approaching our stage destination, the village of Barr.
Barr
Our group filled the Hotel le Manoir to capacity.
Strasbourg - Molsheim
Barr - Châtenois
