Gondrexange / Saverne
At the junction with the V52 heading towards Nancy, EuroVelo 5 leaves the Sarre Canal and follows the towpath beside the Canal de la Marne au Rhin towards Sarrebourg. This town is known for its Chagall Trail, leading visitors from the Chapelle des Cordeliers, where the artist’s stained-glass window entitled ‘Peace’ radiates colour, to the museum where the tapestry of the same name is displayed. The cycle route continues through the Vallée des Eclusiers (Lock-keepers’ Valley), closed to navigation since 1969, the year when the extraordinary Plan Incliné de Saint-Louis Arzviller boat-lift opened. Today, the Vallée des Eclusiers is bucolic, shared by cycling tourists, walkers, anglers, climbers and people passionate about nature and heritage. Lutzelbourg, with its 11th-century château on a promontory, is the last stop on the EV5 in French Moselle before Alsace.
Description
From Gondrexange, EuroVelo 5 is signposted by stickers carrying the route’s logo, plus directional signs. The cycling is easy between Gondrexange and Hesse, beside the Canal de la Marne au Rhin. There is an alternative, using roads shared with motorized traffic, between Hertzing and Hesse. From Hesse, the route continues along quiet roads to Arzviller, passing the laddered locks on the Canal de la Marne au Rhin abandoned after the creation of the Plan Incliné de Saint-Louis-Arzviller, a veritable boat-lift that’s unique in Europe. Cycle up to the Plan Incliné, plus there’s an Alpine toboggan track and the Lehrer glass-makers’ close by. The EV5 leaves the French county of Moselle at Lutzelbourg.
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Don’t miss
- Sarrebourg: Les Cordeliers Chapel and Marc Chagall’s stained-glass window entitled ‘Peace’; the ramparts
- Hesse: cycling links to the mountain parishes of Walscheid and Abreschviller
- Vallée des Eclusiers (the Lock-keepers’ Valley): for its bucolic setting and charming lock-keepers’ houses
- Saint-Louis-Arzviller: the Plan Incliné, a veritable boat-lift that you can visit
- Lutzelbourg: a lovely large village, good for shopping, overseen by an 11th-century castle
