Hohneck (Vosges)

The Hohneck is, at 1363 m the third highest summit of the Vosges Mountains (after Grand Ballon [1424 m] and Storkenkopf [1366 m]) and the highest point of Lorraine. On its summit stands a mountain hut, clearly visible in the distance. Nearby the mountain's top is located the ski resort of La Bresse Hohneck.

Geography
The mountain is divided between the French municipalities of La Bresse (dep. of Vosges), Metzeral (department of Haut-Rhin) and Stosswihr (department of Haut-Rhin). A 1289 m mountain, located 1.5 km east of the Hohneck, is named Petit Hohneck (in English Little Hohneck).

On a clear day from the Hohneck summit is possible to spot not just the entire Vosges range but also the Black Forest, the Jura, a good part of the Swiss Alps and, in the distance, the Mont Blanc.

History
The Hohneck area has been up to the 19th century the main connection route between Gérardmer and Munster, before the opening of the col de la Schlucht road. Therefore, not faraway from the summit have been found ruins dating back to the Thirty Years' War and re-used during Napoleon's military champaigns.

A tramway line from Gérardmer to the Hohneck operated between July 25, 1897, and August 28, 1939. From the Alsace side of the mountain a rack railway reached the Hohneck from Munster passing through the col de la Schlucht between 1907 and 1914.

Access to the summit
The well known Route des Crêtes (French for road of the peaks) transits not faraway from the top of the mountain, which can be reached by car following a small asphalted branch.