Graufthal

Graufthal, an annex of the municipality of Eschbourg, owes its renown to its troglodytic dwellings as well as the convent remains of a Benedictine abbey. Located at the heart of the Northern Vosges Regional Nature Park, surrounded by forests and overlooked by massive pink sandstone walls, this place quickly became part of history.

At the junction of the Rehbach valley and the Zinsel, the village has created natural crossroads, linking the Lorraine plateau to the Alsace plain. The ancient Celtic and then Gallo-Roman populations were then able to take advantage of a secondary road, in addition to the great Roman road which passed further south through the Saverne Pass. Later, in the early Middle Ages, the bishops and counts of Metz, who owned the Zinsel valley, built a religious establishment there.

From the middle of the 16th century, the village was administered by the lords of La Petite-Pierre. Most of them wanted to exploit the resources of the region, such as Count Georges-Jean de Veldenz, known as “Jerrihans”, the king of glassmakers. As everywhere in Alsace, the wars in the 17th century almost entirely decimated the population. When peace returned, some inhabitants built houses using the stones from the ruins of the convent. Some families, mostly poor, built houses in the hollows of the sandstone cliffs. In the meantime, the hamlet of Graufthal became an annex of the municipality of Eschbourg. The small chapel from 1619 was used for both Catholic and Protestant services until the Catholic church was built in 1904.

Moreover, from the beginning of the 19th century, the unique nature of the Maisons des Rochers and the few remains of the convent aroused the curiosity of visitors, designers and archaeologists. The development of the Club Vosgien and of hiking in the forest since 1870, as well as the construction of restaurants and hotels, reinforced the dedication to tourism of Graufthal.

Finally, in 1903, the village had modernized thanks to its railway station, which was in operation for 50 years, and its narrow-gauge train called “Eselsbahn”. The latter is very useful for locals and tourists, but also for the transportation of building stones from the sandstone quarries to Lutzelbourg.

Helmstetter Restaurant

The hostel “zu Rappen” (au Cheval Noir) was located at the entrance of the Rue du Vieux Moulin in Graufthal. According to postcards, the place already existed at the beginning of the 20th century. At that time it was the stopping point for numerous carriages loaded with logs.

On the other hand, the inhabitants of the area used to meet on a track placed on the other side of the street to play skittles. The kirb, the village festival, was held every year in the Helmstetter restaurant or in one of the other restaurants in the village.

The hostel also housed the post office before it was moved to the main street.

Janes Hotel-Restaurant

Aware of his wife’s culinary talents, Alfred Janes, a native of Graufthal, decided in 1930 to found a hostel at the foot of the Maisons des Rochers. His business quickly took off. On Sundays, tourists and villagers gathered to enjoy the confectionery stands, the merry-go-round on the square and the best ice cream in the region.

Later, his son Otto took over and contributed to the success of the hostel by expanding the hotel and placing a rotisserie next to the restaurant. He also decided to develop the trails and install benches in the forest to enhance the site, as his father wanted.

Finally, having no one to take over from him, he sold his establishment to the municipality, which they turned into six apartments.