Phalsbourg

Phalsbourg in north-eastern France, once a town of great military importance, is today a pleasant small town of about 5,000 inhabitants and well worth a visit on a driving holiday. The town is a cultural centre and hosts several festivals each year, including a foie-gras festival, an agricultural festival and a theatre festival. There are several restaurants, historical monuments and a historical museum.

The surrounding forest area has a somewhat special history. In the early 18th century, an epidemic of dysentery broke out among the soldiers of Phalsbourg. After finding a new spring and a statue of the Virgin Mary in an oak tree, the soldiers recovered. In gratitude, they built a wooden chapel, which was replaced by a stone church in 1741. The well and the church became a destination for pilgrims. At the end of the 19th century a small monastery was built and the monks looked after the church and the spring. Today there is a cemetery around the church, where the monks are buried.