History
Ottrott, at the foot of the Mount Sainte-Odile owes most of its history to her.
The legend has it that Odile, daughter of the Duke of Alsace, Adalric, born blind towards 660, recovered her sight, at the time of her baptism.
Later she founded the abbey of " Hohenbourg " where she died towards 720.
The abbey knew an era of great prosperity during the Middle Ages.
During the 12th century, the abbess Herrade de Landsberg wrote and illuminated a shortened history of the world since the Creation, a kind of encyclopaedia called
" Hortus Deliciarum ".
After a fire in 1546, the nuns left the almost burned down convent.
Thanks to the " Premonstratensians " , it became at the 17th century a place of pilgrimage venerated in all Alsace, of which Sainte Odile had meanwhile become the patron saint.
Sightseeing
This village, situated at the foot of the Vosges mountains, has a rare historic patrimony.
One finds there the famous Pagan Wall of and on the mountain Sainte Odile, dating doubtless from the end of the 6th century B.C. and which consists of a surrounding wall made of gigantic blocks of sandstone (length 10 km, up to 3-5 meters height, 1.60.-1.80 metres width) held together by wooden dove-tails, and with Gallo-Roman doors.
Pieces of furniture from the era of the Neolithic to the Gallo-Roman era were found on the plateau of the mountain Sainte-Odile.
One finds even there the " Druids' cave ", doubtless a false dolmen, near the south Pagan Wall.
Cart tracks are still left on the former Roman way which passed on the hillside of the mountain Sainte-Odile.
There is also a Merovingian tumulus.
Ottrott, picturesque wine village possesses a set of 9 feudal ruins.
The 2 Ottrott's castles:
- The " Lutzelbourg's castle " dating from the 13th to the 15th century, built on a pentagonal plan a circular donjon, a seigniorial lodging house, and with its ditch dug in the cliff and the " Rathsamhausen' castle " also of the 13th to the 15th century, with its tower - lodging house with Romanic windows, its circular donjon, its surrounding wall, a fireplace with Romanic small columns, a barbacane.
- The " Birkenfels' castle " also of the 13th to the 15th century with a pentagonal donjon, a quadrangular lodging house, and windows.
The 2 " Dreistein' castles " of the 13th and 14th centuries, planted on a rocky spur, with their round donjons, their polygonal surrounding walls, lodging houses, walls.
The " Kagenfels' castle "of the 13-th century in the low surrounding wall(speaker) flanked(thrown) by pentagonales and square turrets, and a high surrounding wall(speaker) with round tour(tower), bastion and lodging house.
The " Koepfel's castle " in the oblong surrounding wall, of late Roman time or of the 10th, 11th and 12th centuries.
The " Hagelschloss' castle " of the 13th or of the 14th century, built on 2 cliffs.
In Ottrott-Bas , the "Altkeller's castle "with its square donjon, estimated dating of the 12th century (?) in the park of Witt Guizot's castle dating of the 18th century.
A maybe more ancient surrounding wall is situated next to the " Altkeller " where the Romanic windows taken from Guirhaden's castle were built up again.
Ottrott's church dating 1771: altars, pulpit, confessionals, baroque organ case by Silbermann.. The Romanic style chapel Saint Nicolas of Ottrott-Bas of the 12th century, reshaped by the addition of a rear quarter panel of the 16th century.
So the convent of the mountain Sainte Odile, with its convent church of 1692, three-naved building, flat head and cross vaults, the Virgo with the Child dating of the 18th century.
The woodwork and confessionals of the 18th century also, the inlaid panels of the stations of the Cross of 1934.
The chapel of the Romanic Cross of the 12th century, with its 2 floors and coupled windows, with a sarcophagus of Adalric and his wife Bereswinde of the 9th century, Odile's parents.
Frescoes, copies of " Hortus Deliciarum ".
The chapel Sainte-Odile of the 11th century with Gothic vaults, in bottom - relief of the 17-th century, in the woodwork and the paintings of the 18-th century, sheltering the sarcophagus of Sainte-Odile which dates the 8th century, as well as the relics of Sainte Eugénie.
The convent with its engraved Romanic stele of the 12th century, its sculptures telling episodes of the history of the convent.
The chapel of the Tears of the 12th century with the modern mosaics, in the Merovingian graves cut in the cliff.
The chapel of the Angels of the 12th century also with its modern mosaics, built on the site of a Merovingian cemetery : several graves have been preserved.
The cave and the Sainte-Odile's spring, considered for having healing virtues, specially for eyes related illnesses.
The stations of the Cross of 1935 at feet of the cliffs the forming the base of the convent, with ceramic stations polychrome by Elchinger.
Miscellaneous Informations
Altitude 260 m. 1500 inhabitants. Flower decked village** 2003.
Summer health resort, especially in the mountain Sainte-Odile in the massif of the Vosges.
Woody mountains. Forest of Obernai-Bernardswiller.
Hikes (paths marked out by the Club Vosgien). Passage of the GR5.
Springs of river Magel and river Ehn.
From the mountain Sainte-Odile panoramic sight on the Vosges, the castles of the surroundings and Alsatian plain.
Also panoramic sight from the summit of the " Elsberg ".
Numerous picturesque cliffs for example cliff of the Panorama, cliff " du Canapé ", cliff of Oberkirch, Beckenfels, Grossfelsen, cave said " Adalric's cave ", etc....
Quarries.
Forestry development.
Crop of mushrooms, bilberries. Flora and fauna of Vosges mountains.
Vineyard: Route des Vins d'Alsace, specially the famous " Ottrott's red wine". Distilleries of brandies.
Cereal.
Gastronomic specialities.
Local fair last Sunday of July.
Patron's holiday on the Sunday preceding October 28th and December 6th .
Pilgrimage on the mountain Sainte-Odile each Easter and Whit Mondays, and from the 7th until the 14th of July, as well as on December 13th ..
Perpetual worship all year long.
Annual cyclo-cross.
Hunting, fishing.
Traditional train from Rosheim to Ottrott.
Park of Witt-Guizot's castle.
Wildlife site :
- Aquarium "Les Naïades" true aquatic live Museum.
Musical societies .
Youth club and arts centre.
Section of the Club Vosgien.
Rural craft.
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