Walking trail: the forts along the water

This circuit, marked and with insignificant elevation change, can be traveled in either direction, with the choice of starting at Fort-Louis, at the Town Hall square, or starting at Neuhaeusel from the community center, Rue du Rhin. You will discover exceptional landscapes and an environment.

The Moder, having become a forest river with its numerous arms, slowly rushes toward its confluence with the Rhine, through the Rhine forest, where reeds and white willows compete with a large number of different plant species. On the water, the typical flat-bottomed boats, the calfats, appear. It is also the realm of roe deer and wild boar, beavers and nutrias, and a very rich aquatic birdlife: grebes, kingfishers, little bitterns… and the very rare great bittern. You are in a protected biotope. On the left bank of the Moder, you will see a landscape of typical agriculture from the northern Ried. Two forts are on your way: Fort Carré and Fort d’Alsace, which, along with the now almost disappeared Fort Marquisat, formed Fort Louis (in reference to Louis XIV, its planner). This fortification, built by Vauban starting in 1687, housed up to 2,000 soldiers under difficult conditions in the 18th century. It was bombed during the French Revolution, partially restored later, then razed again and finally bought by the municipality of Fort-Louis.

Two villages punctuate the circuit:
- to the south, at the site of a former Capuchin convent, Fort-Louis appeared with the construction of the fortification and developed to become, a century later, a garrison town with 34 innkeepers! Its streets are straight and at right angles to avoid hindering the movement of troops of the time,

- to the north, Neuhaeusel, founded at the same time and whose inhabitants made the bricks and tiles for the fortification. Fishing and river transport later took over until the mid-20th century.

Finally, a detour to Roeschwoog is essential, to discover this municipality that bears witness to an occupation dating back to 800/400 BC and later to the Merovingians. Its inhabitants also once produced bricks and tiles for Fort-Louis.

Another circuit, "Weckmann and the Moder," starting from this municipality, allows you to get to know it better.

Circuit layout: https://ignrando.fr/fr/parcours/67431-pr5-les-forts-au-fil-de-l-eau