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Origin and history

The Battlefield of the Tête-des-Faux (or Buchenkopf) is a fortified site of the First World War, situated on horseback in the communes of Bonhomme and Lapotroie, in the Upper Rhine. This summit of the Vosges, culminating at 1,208 meters, was the scene of intense fighting as early as December 1914, when the 14th German fighter battalion launched a night offensive to regain control of it. Until the Armistice of 1918, the two camps maintained fortified positions, dug directly into the rock.

The remains still visible today include a network of trenches, underground shelters, and the foundations of a German hospital dug in the mountains. A military funicular, whose upper station remains near the Rock of the Raven, was able to transport troops and equipment from Lapotroie. Unlike the German works partially preserved, French constructions have completely disappeared. The site, classified as a historical monument by decree of 12 March 1932, illustrates the bitterness of the fighting in the mountains during the Great War.

Strategically located away from the main front lines, this sector was nevertheless a permanent point of tension. The Germans built sustainable infrastructure, such as underground rooms and command posts, while the French concentrated on nearby positions. The presence of a nearby pond (the Devin pond) and the steep topography made it both isolated and symbolically contested, marked by extreme living conditions for the soldiers.

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