Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines National Cemetery
Sainte-Marie Pass
La nécropole nationale de Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines. © ECPAD
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In this region of France, position warfare raged and was tailored to the lie of the land. The soldiers dug out bunkers and built specific transport networks (funicular, cable cars, railways) as well as telephone and telegraph communications networks. Unable to dislodge the enemy, each soldier resorted to mine warfare, which lasted throughout the war.
Built in 1920 to accommodate the bodies of those initially buried in a makeshift cemetery in Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines, this National Cemetery, located at the Sainte-Marie Pass (Col Sainte-Marie), is now home to 230 French soldiers, 182 of whom are buried in an ossuary. These men, who were awarded the ‘Morts pour la France’ (Died for France) distinction, were killed during the battles in the Vosges Mountains between 1914 and 1918.
Practical information
Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines
À 35 km au nord-ouest de Colmar, prendre le col de Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines, puis suivre le fléchage
Visites libres toute l’année
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Comité Régional du Tourisme d'Alsace
20, rue Berthe Molly
68000 Colmar
Tél. : 03 89 24 73 50