BR39 Sauer Valley and its spa resorts

The Route
The hike opens in the land of the thermal springs. A winding road indeed connects the spa towns of Niederbronn-les-Bains and Morsbronn-les-Bains. Niederbronn-les-Bains is a renowned spa that was already frequented by the Romans. The town has the only casino in Northern Alsace and an interesting Archaeology museum. The circuit then takes the cycling route of the Sauer Valley established on the old railway line of the Maginot Line leading to Lembach. Beyond Lembach, the silhouettes of castle ruins overlook the road. There are a good ten within a radius of ten kilometers, including the Fleckenstein castle built in the 12th century on a sandstone ridge. Then, the route crosses the Franco-German border towards the Dahner Felsenland and its strangely shaped sandstone formations, passing through Hirschthal and Schönau. The itinerary returns to French territory and then shifts to the Wineckerthal valley and then the Jaegerthal to reach Niederbronn-les-Bains. The end of the route is marked by the first forges of the De Dietrich company now located in Niederbronn-les-Bains.