Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Virgin of Alsace, also called Virgo à l'Offrande, is a monumental statue of 6 meters high, installed on a base of 4 meters at the top of the rocky promontory Eichstein, overlooking the village of Niederbruck. Commanded in 1920 by Joseph Vogt's son, a local industrialist and former mayor (1891-1919), it was carved by Émile-Antoine Bourdelle in grey marble. Its inauguration took place on 7 October 1923, after a vow made during the First World War to protect the valley and the family factory from bombing.

A preliminary bronze version (1919-1921) is now on display in the gardens of the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art in Edinburgh. A life-size plaster model was presented at the Autumn Salon in 1922. The final version, made in the Parisian workshop of Ulysse Attenni, was installed on a granite base designed by Bourdelle. The statue was classified by order of 30 December 1985.

Joseph Vogt, a potash industrialist, financed this monument in thanks for the preservation of his factory and the village during the Great War. The project reflects both religious devotion and recognition of divine protection, typical of post-war memorials in Alsace. The Virgin of Alsace thus embodies an artistic, historical and spiritual heritage for the region.

The site, located at an altitude with panoramic views, has become a local pilgrimage site. The statue, by its style and history, illustrates the artistic current of the inter-war period, mixing sculptural modernity and religious tradition. Its inscription in historical monuments in 1985 underscores its heritage importance for the Upper Rhine and the Greater East.

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