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the spring equinox
Ballon d'Alsace

At the spring equinox, if we observe it from the Ballon d’Alsace, the sun rises behind the Black Forest Belchen 70 km away

Anfang Mai / Beltene
Ballon d'Alsace
About 40 days after the spring equinox, beginning of the Celtic summer half-year, the sun rises in the east-northeast behind the summit of the Grand Ballon.
21.6 summer solstice
Ballon d'Alsace

At the summer solstice, the sun rises in the northeast above the Markstein, in the direction of the Petit Ballon

Anfang August / Lugnasad
Ballon d'Alsace
About 40 days after the summer solstice, the sun rises in the east-northeast, behind the summit of the Grand Ballon.
22.9. the autumn equinox
Ballon d'Alsace

At the autumnal equinox, if we observe it from the Ballon d’Alsace, the sun rises behind the summit of Schwarzwaldbelchen 70 km away.

Anfang November / Samhain
Ballon d'Alsace

About 40 days after the autumn equinox, beginning of the Celtic winter half-year. The three Celtic settlements Britzgyberg, Basel-Gasfabrik and Augusta Raurica are on the line of the sunrise.

21.12. Winter solstice
Ballon d'Alsace

The sun rises in the southeast behind the Tödi in the Glarus Alps, in between lies the Jura Belchen

Anfang Februar / Imbolc
Ballon d'Alsace
About 40 days after the winter solstice, middle of the Celtic winter half-year. The sun rises in east-southeast. The three Celtic settlements Britzgyberg, Basel-Gasfabrik and Augusta Raurica are on the line of the sunrise.

Witches' bonfire

'Dame Blanche' and Witches' bonfire

'Dame blanche' and Witches' bonfire

Once a year, on the night of 14 to 15 August, the Bollenberg, the 363 metre high, striking Jura limestone hill between Rouffach, Orschwihr and Westhalten, becomes the scene of a cult to which masses of people from all over the region make a pilgrimage. The famous ‘witches’ bonfire’ is burnt at the small chapel of the Holy Cross, which can be reached from the eastern edge of the village of Orschwihr via a short but steep and unpaved road. It is the Conscrits, the prospective recruits of Orschwihr, who hand over a witch doll to the fire on a skilfully erected pile of wood. Throughout the year, the mountain, which includes a small nature reserve, is mainly frequented by nature lovers. Residents can be found at the ‘Clos Sainte Apolline’ vineyard with restaurant and hotel, which can be reached from the east side of the mountain from the D18. The Chapel of the Holy Cross, popularly known as the ‘Chapelle des sorcières’, used to be a popular pilgrimage site. Numerous legends surround this site, where a ‘Dame blanche’ is said to have appeared. It is assumed that this is an ancient place of worship.