The best traffic-free bike rides around Rüderbach

The chapel Notre-Dame du Grunenwald probably dates back to the 15th century and has been an important place of pilgrimage for centuries. According to legend, children found a statue of Mary in the forest, whereupon a first chapel was built at this spot. In the 16th century, it was expanded by the Order of Saint John/Knights of Malta and later rebuilt, including in 1705. During the First World War, the chapel was severely destroyed by artillery fire. The current chapel was built between 1930 and 1933. The historical statue of Mary and some stones from the previous building have been preserved to this day.

The inscription and history are interesting. The remains themselves are of a relatively ordinary appearance. They resemble classic house foundations. The notion of a bath or Roman style is not obvious to a novice.

Beautiful half-timbered houses. Few public benches. Those in front of the church and in the adjacent playground are not sheltered from the wind. If you have a picnic area to recommend, go for it, thank you.

Next to the restaurant you also have a camping. The camping is quite rudimentary, but its most important asset is the restaurant. Unfortunately it is only open during restaurant hours. You eat well here, but beware, the restaurant appears to be very popular locally. The restaurant runs on its local guests and not on the camping guests. Both are owned by the same owner.

This region has hundreds of small fishponds, once created by monks in the Middle Ages. Today they form a patchwork of water, reeds and forest – a paradise for birds, cyclists and those seeking peace and quiet. You cycle along quiet banks, see herons take flight and enjoy local specialities such as fried carp along the way.

Oltingue is a quiet village in the Sundgau with a late-classical village ensemble around the church of Saint-Martin (1827–1831), the rectory and the former school. The Callinet organ (1843), the double staircase of the rectory and the facade details are striking. There are several historic houses in the village, including half-timbered houses from 1695 and a farm from the 16th century. To the east lies the chapel of Saint-Brice, a former place of pilgrimage with a baroque altar and an outdoor pulpit.

This former mother church of Oltingue and three disappeared villages dates from the 13th and 14th centuries. The location is idyllic: surrounded by fields, an old cemetery and often with storks on the roof in the spring. Inside you will discover surprisingly well (?) preserved wall paintings, including a rare representation of the sacrifice of Melchisedech and a Last Supper from 1741. In the choir you will also find a wall tabernacle and a niche for liturgical objects, silent witnesses of medieval rituals. The Gothic arched windows and the neo-Gothic vault are reminders of later restorations, while archaeological excavations in 1989 revealed traces of older sanctuaries and tombs from the early Middle Ages. simple but full of character.

Beautiful route, away from the roads so very pleasant