Presentation

The first reference to the village dates back to 1239. It probably means "place near the sandy brook". A court called Meyerhof belongs to the Abbey’s estate till the Revolution.

Belonging of the Empire, the village is at first a given to the Hattstatt family, that makes it their fief. In 1434 it belongs to the Ribeaupierre family, and is part of the Wihr-au-Val lease, such as Gunsbach. In 1585, it is given as a fief to the Truchsess de Rheinfelden, and remains part of the belongings of the Ribeaupierre till 1789. Above the village stand the remnants of the Schwarzenbourg castle.

The suffix "au Val" is added to the name in 1910, to become differentiated from the other Griesbach of the Bas-Rhin district.

What to do – to see

The Meyerhof

The Meyerhof dates back to the 16th century, and is situated at #1 rue du Meyerhof. It was run by the lord’s intendant, the Meyer, named by the lord of the village (the abbey). He was helped by the Huber, subjects who ran farms.

Schwarzenbourg castle (baron of Stosswihr)

Before turning into ruins, this fortress was considered one of the best military buildings of the Middle-Ages. Gauthier de Géroldseck had it built in 1261. In 1293, the castle would become a prison for Walther Roesselmann, Schultheiss (provost) of Colmar from 1282. He had opened the city of Colmar to the pro-Habsburg rebels who stood against Emperor Adolphe of Nassau. He died in the dungeon of the castle in 1294.

The castle had a rough time during the Thirty Years war (1618-1648), and it progressively fell to ruins. The castle and mountain are bought by the abbey in 1725. The ruins are sold as a public estate in 1793.

The Hartmann family buys the building at the beginning of the 19th century, to integrate it as an element of the romantic style inspired English garden. The German use it as a look-out post during WW1.

The legend tells that the remnants are haunted by a White Lady and an enchanted owl. Treasures would be hidden in an uncovered souterrain…

Nearby: the Napoleon place or terrace, in Schlosswald, got its name from a horse that belongged to the Emperor. Frédéric Hartmann-Metzger, who had bought it after the Hundred Days, ha dit buried there.

Hinking

Griesbach au Val offers mutiple ways to escape in the nature. Four hiking trails in the forest of the town, along the mountain, with resting areas. Good hiker or occasional walker, you will find a trail up to your expectations.

Each of the four trails has the name of forest essence. The Chestnut and Oak trails take one hour, the Pine trail takes two hours, and the Beech trail, the longest, takes three hours. From that last one, the hiker can reach the trails of the Club Vosgien, to Wasserboug, Kahlenwasen and Rothenbrunnen, etc. Each trail has a symbol: tree, leave or fruit.