Le Relais d’Isira® de DABO invites you to discover the natural treasures surrounding the Rocher de Dabo. Standing at a height of 664 metres, it offers panoramic views of the Alsace plain to the east, the Vosges mountains to the south and the Lorraine plateau to the north-east.

The Rocher de DABO is steeped in Celtic, Roman, medieval and contemporary history. A medieval castle once stood here, destroyed on the orders of Louis XIV in 1679. This castle was owned by the Counts of DABO-EGUISHEIM, from whose lineage Pope Leo IX descended.

On 19 July 1983, the German Chancellor Helmut KOHL and the President of the French Republic François MITTERAND met in DABO to discuss compensation for the ‘Malgré-Nous’ (people from Alsace and the Moselle region who were forcibly conscripted into the German army during the Second World War).

The walks organised by the Relais d’Isira® in DABO offer the chance to explore magnificent sandstone rocks and cliffs, as well as castles, which provide stunning panoramic views over the Alsace plain and Lorraine.

Within a radius of around 30 km, there are numerous remarkable sites, activities and attractions to visit:

- The inclined plane at SAINT-LOUIS-ARZVILLER is a boat lift on the Marne–Rhine Canal, which enables boats to cross the Vosges.

- The ‘Vallée des Éclusiers’ follows the route of the old, disused Marne–Rhine Canal at SAINT-LOUIS-ARZVILLER, with its 17 locks.

- PHALSBOURG and its fortifications. Phalsbourg was officially founded on 27 September 1570 by Emperor Maximilian II of the Holy Roman Empire. The town’s fortifications were redesigned and completed by Vauban. The town was annexed to the Kingdom of France in 1661 under the Treaty of Vincennes. It is home to the Erckmann-Chatrian Museum, dedicated to two very popular local 19th-century writers, and displays editions of their works.

- The Cordeliers Chapel, built in the 13th century, is situated in the historic centre of SARREBOURG. It features stained-glass windows designed by Marc Chagall, including ‘La Paix’, a magnificent 12-metre-high window.

- The NIDERVILLER pottery is one of the oldest in Lorraine and is still in operation today. The finesse of its products often leads to comparisons with the Sèvres Porcelain Manufactory.

- SAVERNE, with its castles, prestigious history and exceptional heritage, was the capital of the Prince-Bishops of Strasbourg from the 13th century until the Revolution. It is home, in particular, to the Château des Rohan and the Récollets Convent. The town is dominated by the Château du Haut-Barr, nicknamed ‘the eye of Alsace’, from where one can see the spire of Strasbourg Cathedral and visit the CHAPPE telegraph tower, which formed part of the line linking Paris to Strasbourg from 31 May 1798.

- MARMOUTIER, founded in 590 by Saint Léobard, an Irish monk, with its Romanesque abbey church and its beautiful 12th-century façade, its archaeological crypt and its Silbermann organ, which houses the fine museum of Alsatian heritage and Judaism. It is also the birthplace of the philanthropic banker Albert Kahn.

- ABRESCHVILLER, where you can explore the landscapes of the Sarre Rouge valley by taking the steam train running on the forest railway.


- The Lorraine lakes, which stretch along the edge of the Lorraine plateau, in the towns of MITTERSHEIM, LANGATTE and DIANE-CAPELLE, then, following the Saar Canal (formerly known as the Saar Coal Mines Canal), through the towns of GONDREXANGE, SAINT-GEORGES and IBIGNY.

- The Northern Vosges Regional Nature Park, established in 1975 and holding the ‘World Biosphere Reserve’ designation awarded by UNESCO, which covers an area of exceptional natural, historical and cultural heritage… comprising three main zones: the forested massif, the Lorraine plateau and the Piedmont. It forms a triangle between Bitche, Saverne and Wissembourg.

- The troglodyte houses of GRAUFTHAL and FALKENFELDS (DABO), which bear witness to a not-so-distant past, having been inhabited until the mid-20th century.

- The crystal works in DABO, which boasts recognised expertise in the field of crystal.

- SAINT-QUIRIN, holder of the following designations: ‘ The Most Beautiful Villages of France’, ‘Station Verte’ and ‘Flower-Filled Towns and Villages’.

- WALSCHEID, the village of seven hills, stretches across the upper Bièvre valley and is home to the Saint-Léon cave and the Gallo-Roman cemetery.

- WANGENBOURG-ENGENTHAL, nicknamed the ‘Switzerland of Alsace’.

- The Donon, with its pagan temple at an altitude of 1,008 metres on the border with Lorraine, offers a wonderful journey into the past amidst sumptuous landscapes.

- The Sainte-Croix Wildlife Park is a zoo located in RHODES, specialising in European wildlife.

- MARLENHEIM, the “Gateway to the Alsace Wine Route”, boasts a diverse architectural heritage: the Church of Sainte-Richarde, the town hall and an 18th-century castle, Renaissance mansions and half-timbered houses, all bearing witness to the town’s former prosperity. Numerous festivals punctuate life in the town (in particular ‘The Marriage of Ami Fritz’ (14–15 August), based on the novel by Erckmann-Chatrian, and the Grape Harvest Festival

- Center Parc Les Trois Forêts, situated in Hattigny.