Walking trail - The Silver Mountain

From the St. Joseph gallery, go down the departmental road on the left, pass by the factory and take the first right onto the rural path of La Maladrerie. A calvary erected in 1749 recalls the suffering of the plague victims cared for in this place. Continue to the right after the calvary, cross the Sadey stream and climb the small "Côte du Calvaire" to St. Nicholas Church. Turn back and take the small road of Sadey that runs along the cemetery. You will pass by the hamlet of Steingel, consisting of 8 dwellings from last century, today the last threat of falling into ruin. Then, in front of La Grande Fresse, a farm adorned with an oak and a beech planted around 1796. Continue along the path and take a right from the parking lot. 350 meters separate you from the cross on the Mountain of Silver where benches await you to catch your breath while contemplating the view. We are here at 800 meters altitude and the panorama is spread over the valleys of Morthe, Blanc-Ru, Fave, and the towns of Raon-l'Étape and Corcieux. In the distance, the peaks of Climont and Donon. Enjoy the picnic shelter for 20 people and, if you wish, you can join the hiking trails of Ban de Laveline. Our path descends towards the hamlet of Corbey. We now overlook the Saint-Jean site. This mining site was very productive for several centuries and some buildings are still visible. On your left, the "canal des Allemands" allows you to join the "l'argent du Chipal" circuit which starts 1 km from here, near the chapel. The Sainte-Barbe gallery is indicated by its well-visible spoil heap. It is named after the patron saint of miners. The mining site of St. Nicholas is the most prestigious and well-known in La Croix aux Mines. The "red mine of St. Nicholas" indeed served as a model for Heinrich Gross (the painter who created around 1530 a collection of 25 drawings depicting the exploitation of the St. Nicholas Mine). The descent continues through dips and bumps that testify to the upheaval of the soils due to mining. The main vein passes nearby and has sometimes been open-pit mined. At the intersection of Halles road, take a right towards Gros Pré which marks the location of the St. Nicholas yard. This is where the workshops necessary for processing the ore after extraction were located. A canal brought water there for hydraulic power. Only the 20th-century buildings remain today (around the Bader and Demmler shafts), the last witnesses of the mining operations which definitively stopped in 1948. Continue to the church and descend the path that leads to the stadium. To complete your visit, the Association for the Promotion of Silver Mines of La Croix (ASMAC) invites you to discover the St. Joseph gallery and the museographic space dedicated to it (entrance behind the factory).