La Route Joffre

The Joffre route is a tourist route that attracts all nature lovers. It offers magnificent panoramas between the Thur and Doller valleys.

The Joffre route is a tourist route that attracts all nature lovers. It offers magnificent panoramas between the Thur and Doller valleys. Take the N66 towards Epinal. In Bitschwiller-lès-Thann, turn left: this is the beginning of the Joffre road. Admire the view over the town of Bitschwiller-lès-Thann and the Grand Ballon (1424 m), the highest point of the Vosges Massif. The Joffre road leads you to Masevaux via the Hundsrück pass (748 m) and Bourbach-le-Haut (600m).
The First World War broke out on 1 August 1914. On 7 August, French troops entered Thann. As a frontline town and capital of French Alsace, Thann experienced the terror of bombing. In 1915, the construction of a new road was necessary to allow the French to have a second access to the valley of the Thur in order to supply the front, in particular the Vieil Armand. During the Second World War, the Joffre Road regained its military role by allowing access to Thann. At the top of the Hundsrück pass, the monument of the 1st Battalion of Shock pays tribute to the men who, in November 1944, fought in these places and liberated Bourbach-le-Haut.