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Its exceptional setting has attracted man since the dawn of time

This is a rich land set in a wonderful natural environment where the fertile plains join the foothills beneath the summits of the Hautes-Vosges with their deep inexhaustible forests. It is an area generously irrigated by the waters of the Rimbach and the Lauch in the Florival valley, which never disappointed the first huntsmen and farmers who settled down or the first farmers who came to clear it.

Today this natural heritage that spreads across 7300 acres of common land* still is the inhabitants proud and joy.

A 5mn walk from the town centre will lead you to the sub-Vosgian hills covered by the most southernly vineyards* of Alsace stretching over 346 acres. On the hillsides of the two valleys behind Soultz you will find 6 of the 50 great Alsatian vintages.

As you go along you will enter the 3rd largest forest of Haute-Alsace with its dark woods of fir trees and high chestnut, oak, beech or maple trees among which hidden glades of wild heather can be found.

The trees become scarcer above 1000m. The high altitude beech groves progressively gives way to high stubble fields dominated by the Grand Ballon, the highest point of the Natural Regional Parc of the Ballons des Vosges*, reaching 1424m. From here you have an impressive view over the plain of Alsace, the Rhine and the Black Forest and beyond towards the Jura mountains and the Alps. On its slopes you can also enjoy downhill or cross-country skiing*.

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We have managed to protect our unique natural heritage from the effects of mass tourism.

On discovering Alsace, Louis XIV exclaimed « What a beautiful garden! ». But we are not the owners of such heritage, we are only meant to preserve it for future generations.

It is in this spirit that in 1988, the idea of district forest rangers was introduced in the local law. It lead to the creation of the Brigades Vertes whose mission is to ensure people respect the environment. Today the idea of the Brigade Verte* with their headquarters in Soultz has been well tried and extended to the whole national territory.

The people of Soultz also contribute to the protection of the environment by recycling their household waste or by using the waste reception centre*.

Soultz has developed in « a fairytale wine-producing region, probably one of the most beautiful ones in France » (according to the Parker Guide of French wine) and we intend to do our best to keep it that way.