"Porte de Pierre

""Unique, mysterious and fascinating""
Since I made Lutzelhouse my home with my husband over 40 years ago, my feet have always lead me to Porte de Pierre. And I never tire of revisiting it. The place always conjures up magic and casts kindly spells, like a mysterious and invigorating potion. I should say I'm a ""girl from the Vosges uplands"". I was born and raised in Belmont where the forces of nature reign and sculpt your body and soul. Like they forged Porte de Pierre, sculpted by the elements. The wind, sun, water and frost patiently moulded it to give us this monumental, unique and fascinating work today. And you can see how it must have fascinated our distant ancestors who visited it, probably fearful and respectful, as it must have fuelled their imagination with its majesty. Like many other sites in the Vosges uplands (the Pagan Wall in Mont Sainte Odile, Hohwalk and Grand Donon) the Porte de Pierre and the Fairy Garden further up exude an energy that, even for the practical woman I am, inspires contemplation and provides undeniable rejuvenation. And of course it is surrounded in legend. Porte de Pierre is supposedly the gateway to the ""Forbidden Land."" Undoubtedly the land of ancient beliefs that were rejected at the dawn of Christianity. People used to elevate their soul in the respect and wonder that nature inspired in them. Maybe we should remember that a little more nowadays..."