ÉTANG DE L'ERBSENTHAL - RÉSERVE NATURELLE

The former Erbsenthal estate lies between the villages of Sturzelbronn and Eguelshardt, more precisely between the wooded hills of the Biesenberg (376 metres), the Abstberg (375 metres), the Erbsenberg (402 metres) and the Rothenberg (358 metres). Flowing into the bed of the Rothenbach brook, swollen by the waters of the Moosbach and Zinsel rivers, the three-kilometre-long estate covers 33 hectares. The pond makes a wonderful setting for hikers. The GR 532 and the Tres Tabernae pass along the banks as well as several circular paths marked out by the Club Vosgien which start at the Étang de Hanau. The Chapel of Notre Dame des Bois is a 2 minute walk away. The Cistercian monks of Sturzelbronn used to pile up the ice from the Erbsenweiher pond in winter in an ice-house, a kind of igloo insulated with straw - a very old method in the region. It could be used until summer, either for direct consumption or to preserve food such as fish, especially as the pond was full of fish.