Col du Pré de Raves

The Col du Pré de Raves is a secondary mountain pass in the Vosges Massif. It is a crossing point on the Route des Crêtes (D 148).

Toponymy
Raves originates from the term "rava," which refers to the confluence of two streams or the place where multiple watercourses meet.

Geography
Located on the edge of the Croix-aux-Mines state forest, the pass is accessible via the Departmental Road 148, which connects the Col des Bagenelles to the Vosges department after the Col du Calvaire, or by taking the Jean-François Pelet road leading to the forest road of Pré des Raves from the.

History
In the 19th century, the Pré de Raves was used for agro-pastoral purposes. Its landscape featured a farmhouse surrounded by a meadow 200 meters wide and about 2 kilometers long. The flora included arnica, thyme, and Meum. This vegetation disappeared following reforestation with conifers after the inn was rented to the scouts of Saint-Dié and subsequently destroyed.

It was the scene of fierce fighting at the beginning of the First World War.