Hartmannswillerkopf / Vieil Armand
N 47° 51.533 E 007° 09.030
32T E 361662 N 5302271
[FR ]Un éperon rocheux pyramidal, dans le massif des Vosges dans lequel est établi un monument national en souvenir des combats de 1915. [EN] A national monument of World War I to the fighting which took place in the trenches here.
Waymark Code: WM3R6J
Location: Grand-Est, France
Date Posted: 05/09/2008
Views: 94
[FR] Les principaux combats eurent lieu les 19 janvier-20 janvier, 26 mars, 25 avril-26 avril et 21 décembre-22 décembre 1915 faisant près de trente mille morts dont une majorité de Français. Ensuite le front s'est stabilisé et ne donna lieu qu'à des duels d'artillerie et qui a valu au sommet le nom de Montagne Sacrée d'Alsace.
[EN] Hartmannswillerkopf, also known as Vieil-Armand, is a peak in the Vosges Mountains, approximately 12 km north of Cernay on the D431. It was a position of vital importance during the early days of World War I, as it overlooked the Col du Silberloch, a pass through the Vosges between France and German-held Alsace. Fighting was particularly fierce during 1915, when the peak changed hands eight times.
The most severe fighting for the peak took place on 19-20 January, 26 march, 25-26 April and 21-22 December of 1915. Through the course of the war, thirty thousand deaths were reported with a majority of these among the French. After about 18 months of fierce combat, both sides began to focus most of their attentions on the western front farther north. Only enough men to hold the lines were left at Hartmannswillerkopf, and they remained relatively stable for the remainder of the war and generally only artillery exchanges took place.
Today, the area is a French national monument. There is a museum and a cemetery at the site, and it is also possible to explore the extensive trench system. Because the lines were static for such a long period, the trenches are very well preserved, especially on the German side of the mountain.
Construction of the Nécropole Nationale du Hartmannswillerkopf was begun in 1921 and the crypt and monument were completed and dedicated in 1932. The cemetery contains 1264 known interments, and the crypt contains six ossuaries containing the remains of 64 unidentified soldiers.
(from wikipedia and findagrave.com)
Date cemetery was established: 1932
Visiting hours:
No restrictions
Website pertaining to the cemetery: [Web Link]
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Visit Instructions:
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