Montgoutte German Military Cemetery

To reach the Montgoutte German Military Cemetery, take the small paved road after the roundabout near the Atelier de Guillaume, then take the first left towards Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines. Pass by the Saint-Guillaume cemetery before turning right at the end of the road. The path leads to a forest parking area from which a short walk takes you to the site. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site since September 2023 along with ten other Alsatian cemeteries, this place bears witness to the history of the First World War. Initially, soldiers were buried near the battlefields, marked by simple wooden crosses. In 1916, the German military burial service established this monumental cemetery, designed with the help of civilian workers and prisoners of war. A monumental granite cross, adorned with a bronze medallion depicting a soldier, dominates the site. The stream running through the area symbolizes rest and peace. The cemetery now holds 1,000 German soldiers: 671 in individual graves and 365 in collective graves, grouped after the war. Maintenance is provided by the German federal government, which sends soldiers each year from Bruchsal Untergrombach. This collaboration led to the twinning of Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines and Bruchsal Untergrombach in 1989, symbolizing reconciliation between the two countries.