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Origin and history

The Hartmannswillerkopf, renamed Old Armand after 1918, is a strategic summit of the Vosges (957 m) played during the First World War. Located 7 km from Thann, it marked the front line between the French Alsace liberated in 1914 and the territories occupied by Germany. The fighting, particularly violent in 1915 (January, March, April, December), resulted in nearly 25,000 deaths, instead of the nicknames Mangeur d'hommes (French side) or Montagne de la Mort (German side).

The site now preserves two memorials: the national monument (Silberloch crypt and cemetery, with 1,640 French remains) and the battlefield, classified in 1921, where 45 km of trenches remain, German concrete shelters and remains such as the sommital cross (20 m) or the monument of the 152nd RI (the Red Devils). The German trenches, in reinforced concrete, contrast with the more precarious French works, reflecting their defensive and offensive strategies.

Old Armand is one of four national monuments dedicated to 14-18, alongside Douaumont or Notre-Dame-de-Lorette. His ossuary and statues (including a Central Virgin) are the work of sculptor Antoine Bourdelle. The site hosted notable Franco-German commemorations, such as the joint visit of Presidents Hollande and Gauck in 2014 for the centenary of the Great War, followed in 2017 by the inauguration of a Franco-German historic in the presence of Macron and Steinmeier.

Ranked in 1921, the battlefield illustrates military archaeology, with remains such as the trench of the Lippic Switzerland or the Zeller canteen. The authorities carried out security work (BRGM diagnostic) to preserve unstable undergrounds. The site, symbol of reconciliation, also attracts for its panoramic views: in clear weather, we distinguish Basel (Switzerland), the Black Forest, and even the Bernese Alps.

The place's toponymy reflects its linguistic history: Hartmannswillerkopf (German, head of Hartmannswiller) was francized in Old Armand by the Poilus, phonetically deforming Hartmann into Armand and Weiler (village) into Old (old). This name also evokes a local legend of old town, although its exact origin remains debated.

The site has inspired artists and filmmakers for a century. The painter François Flameng, an official of the armies, made sketches published in L-Illustration. The cemetery appeared in Jules and Jim (Truffaut 1962), and a documentary from 2004, HWK, the man-eating woman, recounted the battle. Associations, such as Les Amis du Hartmannswillerkopf, perpetuate his memory, labeled by the First World War Centennial Mission.

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