Chemin des Carrières, the Quarries’ Track, is a lace undulating in the landscape, an invitation to travel as our ambition behind the reconquest of the Rosheim-St Nabor railway in Alsace, France. The desire to create a route to serve the quarries had to adapt to the undulating landscapes of the sub-Vosges hills and the very form of the tracing tells the history of the landscape and the men.
Like the old track that offered a dual function (industrial and passenger transport), the route has a double vocation where the functional must rub shoulders with the imaginary of travel. Along the 11km path goes a story, which the stops split into four chapters of different sequences of landscapes offering varied universes and highlighting remarkable sites.
Unusual elements punctuate the way, aiming at awakening the visitor’s senses, and water is encountered repeatedly. The river, which historically allowed connection to the world and tells about the true cleanliness of a place. Two wooden structures create two doors to mark the city entrance and offer shelters for travelers. We enlarge the riverbed and build a large open space amphitheater to access the water.
Leonardsau tells the story of the land. After a long green tunnel, two large corten steel blades amplify the opening effect at the end of the forest corridor to the open landscape, embodying a door and opening a perspective towards Mont St-Odile, which develops the idea of discovery. Ottrott tells the story of travel.
Former train station, the stop materializes the history of the railway and highlight the presence of the heritage (balance, bridge, crane, pump…). In a fabric of housing buildings, the reservoir, symbolizing water, and concrete crossings connect housing to historical elements and landscape. Saint-Nabor tells the story of luck. Closed for years and ongoing a “renaturalisation” process, the quarries symbolize the reconquest of the vegetation on a former industrial site.
On one of the highest platform created by the machine, will the traveler discover the most spectacular work: a promontory in corten steel offering a wide view on the valley of Rosheim and the plain of Alsace. From this viewpoint inspired by a four-leaf clover, the visitor will feel lucky to enjoy the view of such a beautiful territory. Source a images, Courtesy of Reiulf Ramstad Architects.
