Staffelfelden offers a range of starting points for a stay: the architectural history of the Château and parish church, the expansive Cité Rossalmend, and a walk along the Sentier Nat’Thur. If you are considering which aspects of the town match your interests, you can choose between architecture and history, cultural events, and the landscape.
The Château and parish church: two architectural histories
The Château is located at 61 rue des Mines. The fief of Staffelfelden, at whose centre it stands, is documented as early as 1310. However, the present-day Château was not rebuilt until around 1762. Beneath the building is a 16th-century cellar, at least partly preserved. The dates therefore point to different parts of its history: the documented fief, the older cellar, and the later Château. This distinction makes clear that the present-day building should not be equated with the medieval fief.
The parish church of Saint-Gall offers a different architectural focus. Its single-nave body has six bays, alongside a façade tower and a projecting entrance porch topped by a bell chamber. This description identifies both the basic layout of the nave and the striking features of the façade. Visitors interested in church architecture can consider these elements as features in their own right, alongside the history of the Château.
Rossalmend and the history of the settlement
Cité Rossalmend extends across Staffelfelden and Wittelsheim. Construction of the extensive workers’ settlement, commissioned by the Mines Domaniales de Potasses d’Alsace, began in 1925. The settlement includes houses for workers, employees and engineers, as well as housing for single workers. These different forms of housing show that Rossalmend comprises more than a single type of workers’ house: the settlement provided housing for several groups of employees and for single workers. It therefore offers a different perspective on local history from the Château or parish church.
Sentier Nat’Thur: a walk through varied landscapes
The Sentier Nat’Thur offers a walk of about seven kilometres and is equipped with six information panels. The route passes through forests, along meadows and near former orchards. Part of the route runs alongside the Thur. The description therefore presents a walk with changing landscape views, not a route that follows the river throughout. For planning, the approximate distance can help you gauge the length of the walk; no walking time is specified.
The route has a different character from the town’s architectural and historical sites: here, the focus is on the path through woodland and meadow landscapes, with former orchards and the Thur nearby along one section. The six information panels are also part of the route. When choosing what to focus on, you can consider whether architectural history, settlement development or a walk best suits your plans, without combining these different experiences into a single itinerary.
Cultural events and travelling by train
La Margelle offers theatre performances, concerts and performances for young audiences. In May, La Margelle also hosts the festival “Etsetala… Festival de Contes en Sol Mineur”, which is open to the general public. If you would like to plan your trip around a performance or the festival, check the specific dates before travelling.
For travel by train, Staffelfelden station is on the line between Strasbourg and Mulhouse and is served by SNCF TER Alsace trains. Check the timetable for your travel date. Together with the local attractions, this rail connection provides a practical reference point for planning your journey, without making any claims about travel times or connections to individual sights.
Discover more destinations: Kientzheim, Berrwiller, Seppois-le-Bas, Sondernach, Lutter, Riquewihr, Hagenthal-Le-Bas, Wettolsheim.
Return to the regional travel overview: Haut-Rhin.
