The railway was laid near Strasbourg: from the quarry in the town of Saint-Nabor to the larger Rosheim. There were several more stations between them, and the tracks were used to transport not only goods, but also passengers. Nowadays, not only the road is abandoned, but the quarry has been closed for a long time and is now undergoing a process of "re-naturalization", that is, returning to nature.
The Port-de-Rosheim community of communes, which includes all the stations on the former road, held a closed competition in 2016, which was won by Reiulf Ramstad Arkitekter and Parenthèse Paysage. In the opinion of its organizers, the railway should have been turned into a comfortable pedestrian and cycling route connected with the history of the area, especially since it passes in the most picturesque area in the foothills of the Vosges.
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zooming 1/5 Route Portes Bonheur - le Chemin des Carrières Photo © Florent Michel 11h45
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zooming 2/5 Route Portes Bonheur - le Chemin des Carrières Photo © Florent Michel 11h45
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zooming 3/5 Route Portes Bonheur - le Chemin des Carrières Photo © Florent Michel 11h45
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zooming 4/5 Route Portes Bonheur - le Chemin des Carrières Photo © Florent Michel 11h45
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zooming 5/5 Route Portes Bonheur - le Chemin des Carrières Photo © Florent Michel 11h45
Chemin des Carrières, “Quarry Route”, is a road 3 meters wide and 11 kilometers long. It is suitable for both hikers and locals who need to travel on foot or by bike between neighboring towns or villages. At the same time, the route draws attention to cultural and historical monuments, which otherwise visitors to Alsace may overlook (and the Alsatians themselves - getting used to forgetting). Its tortuosity is also a monument: to the efforts of workers and engineers who once laid the railway here.
The design of the road itself is very restrained, but five "chapters" are highlighted in it, where new objects on the verge of art and architecture make you look at the environment differently, it is not for nothing that the authors of the project quote Guy de Maupassant: “Travel is a kind of door through which you leave your acquaintance reality, in order to pass into the unknown reality, which seems to be a dream”(Russian translation by NN Sokolova).
Chemin des Carrières reminds of Ramstad's work at home, for the National Tourist Routes program: in Alsace, as well as there, you can find corten steel and viewing platforms-consoles.
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zooming 1/4 Route Portes Bonheur - le Chemin des Carrières Photo © Florent Michel 11h45
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zooming 2/4 Route Portes Bonheur - le Chemin des Carrières Photo © Florent Michel 11h45
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zooming 3/4 Route Portes Bonheur - le Chemin des Carrières Photo © Florent Michel 11h45
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zooming 4/4 Route Portes Bonheur - le Chemin des Carrières Photo © Florent Michel 11h45
In Rosayme, the architects installed a curvilinear maze that frames the views of the surrounding area. Remains of paths are also preserved there, benches are installed on which one can reflect on the history of the area.
In Börsch, the channel of the river flowing here is widened, an amphitheater for descending to the water is arranged.
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zooming 1/4 Route Portes Bonheur - le Chemin des Carrières Photo © Florent Michel 11h45
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zooming 2/4 Route Portes Bonheur - le Chemin des Carrières Photo © Florent Michel 11h45
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zooming 3/4 Route Portes Bonheur - le Chemin des Carrières Photo © Florent Michel 11h45
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zooming 4/4 Route Portes Bonheur - le Chemin des Carrières Photo © Florent Michel 11h45
In Leonardsau, the forest alley ends with a gate that emphasizes the transition to an open area. This solution also serves as a frame for a perspective view of Mount Sainte-Odile.
Otrot instead of the former railway station received a bus stop reminiscent of the industrial history of the place: a drawbridge, a crane, a pump.
Located in the Saint-Nabor quarry, the last point of the route is an observation deck overlooking the Rosheim Valley and the Alsace Plain. In plan, this platform resembles a four-leaf clover: visitors who can admire this panorama are definitely in luck.
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zooming 1/4 Route Portes Bonheur - le Chemin des Carrières Photo © Florent Michel 11h45
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zooming 2/4 Route Portes Bonheur - le Chemin des Carrières Photo © Florent Michel 11h45
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zooming 3/4 Route Portes Bonheur - le Chemin des Carrières Photo © Florent Michel 11h45
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zooming 4/4 Route Portes Bonheur - le Chemin des Carrières Photo © Florent Michel 11h45
