The Col du Calvaire is a mountain pass in the Vosges Mountains connecting Le Valtin in the Vosges to Orbey in the Haut-Rhin.

Col du Calvaire
Elevation1,144 m (3,753 ft)
LocationHaut-Rhin, France
RangeVosges Mountains
Coordinates48°08′11″N 7°05′19″E / 48.13639°N 7.08861°E / 48.13639; 7.08861
Col du Calvaire is located in Alps
Col du Calvaire
Col du Calvaire
Location of Col du Calvaire

Etymology

edit

It owes its name to a Calvary, formerly known as the "Calvary above Lac Blanc".[1]

Geography

edit

Location

edit

Situated at an elevation of 1,144 metres (3,753 ft), the pass connects the Béhine valley, starting from Le Bonhomme, and the high Alsace valley of the Weiss to Orbey. It lies on the Route des Crêtes between the Col du Bonhomme and the Col de la Schlucht.[2]

Access

edit

From Le Valtin, the pass begins with the ascent of the Col du Louschbach leading to the Route des Crêtes (D 148) up to the Col du Calvaire. Generally, from the west side, the pass is accessed directly via the Route des Crêtes rather than the ascent from the Valtin forest road. From Orbey, the pass is accessed by following the departmental road D 48 then D 48.2 which runs along the Lac Blanc just before the pass.[3]

History

edit

During the World War I, the German front line extended from the Calvary, followed the southern slope to reach the tête des Faux and Orbey.[4]

Activities

edit

Cycling

edit

Tour de France

edit
Year[5] Stage Category Leader at summit
2001 7 2 Laurent Jalabert
1992 11 3 Rolf Gölz
1976 7 3 Luciano Conati

Winter Sports

edit

In winter, the pass is inaccessible from the Col de la Schlucht to make way for the ski slopes maintained by the Lac Blanc ski station.[6]

References

edit
  1. ^ "Les Vosges en 365 jours". www.vosges-rando.net. Retrieved 2024-03-24.
  2. ^ Collectif (2019-10-30). Voyages France: tout un monde à explorer (in French). Hachette Tourisme. ISBN 978-2-01-786910-8. Retrieved 2024-03-24.
  3. ^ Elsy, Mary (1989). Travels in Alsace & Lorraine. Merehurst Press. p. 86. ISBN 978-1-85391-040-1. Retrieved 2024-03-24.
  4. ^ Michelin (2014-03-19). Alsace et les combats des Vosges II (in French). MICHELIN. ISBN 978-2-06-719421-2. Retrieved 2024-03-24.
  5. ^ "Le col du Calvaire dans le Tour de France". www.ledicodutour.com. Retrieved 2023-02-22.
  6. ^ "Diaporama. Neige à la station de ski du Lac Blanc au col du Calvaire". L'Alsace (in French). Retrieved 2023-02-22.
edit