Restaurant
Farmhouse season is in full swing. In the Vosges massif, hikers are happy to regain their strength in the farm inns with a warm and... tasty welcome. Short stop at Bruckenwald in the Masevaux valley, where the Iltis family delights its guests with its good traditional dishes.
Latest edition : 26 April 2020
Each year, the Iltis are among the first to open their farm-inn. When the snow still clings to the heights, when the cows still have to wait in their stables, the farm inns come back to life after the winter break.
Very happy at the end of the season to be able to come back down and breathe a little, the farmer-innkeepers are eager to “climb up there” as soon as spring arrives. Among those who welcome lovers of good produce, the Iltis family, whose name has been closely linked to the place since 1966. It was this year that Madeleine and Xavier, not having enough pasture near their farm in Sierentz, decide to go up to the summer pastures with their animals.
At the time, this communal farm on the heights of Niederbruck only had a very small room where hikers came to take shelter to taste the dishes prepared by Madeleine. It was the restoration that allowed the couple to live. Tireless, Madeleine Iltis was the soul of the place.
His children and grandchildren have taken up the torch. “We spent all our weekends and our holidays up there, we couldn't stop, exclaims his daughter Colette. It is she who spends the summer season at the Ferme-Auberge with her husband Marc. “Our sons Xavier and Jean-Marc take care of the farm in Sierentz. On weekends, they come to help us, just like their sister Valérie and her friend, or even my sister. » Over the years, the dining room has grown, being able to accommodate 60 guests.
But it's outside, in the shade of the spruce and fir that you can feel that "little something" that makes this Farm-Inn so charming. When there are no crowds, you can hear the murmur of the wind in the branches, the tireless hissing of the spring. The gaze is lost in the valley or on the heights of the Rossberg. Only the good smells escaping from the kitchen interrupt this reverie.
Colette allows herself a few (small) liberties with the sacrosanct marcaire menu. “I serve it with rösti and not roigabragelde, roast beef or pork instead of smoked neck. There are other cuts than the neck in the pork! she exclaims. "No one complains about it," adds her husband, who every day transforms the milk from his cows and goats into cheese.
As in all farm inns, the menu of the day is offered according to the products available. The marcaire meal is on order. On the menu, there is always a broth or soup, omelettes, pie, potato pancakes, snacks, cheese plates, pies and the famous Siasskass. Due to the capricious weather, however, it is better to call to make sure that the Ferme-Auberge is open!
The Association des Fermes-Auberges du Haut-Rhin has just republished its guide for Haute-Alsace. The book is also published in German.
In the 19th century, Alsatian peasants drove their herds to the pastures of the Vosges mountains. For several months they lived in rustic farmhouses which also served as a refuge for loggers and mountain workers. Today, they are essential places for agrotourism in the region.
Everything a hiker needs to know about farm inns before embarking on a discovery of the Vosges reliefs is contained in this hundred-page guide. The journalist Ursula Laurent, co-author of the book, lists more than forty Haut-Rhin establishments, classified by valley. Each is the subject of a presentation on a double page: contact details, opening period, reception capacity, terms of access to the farm-inn..., all the practical information can be found there. Thanks to a series of pictograms, the reader discovers in the blink of an eye if the hostel has a terrace, or if pets are allowed by the owner of the premises.
By painting, in an original and unexpected way, the portrait of each family of farmer-innkeepers, the guide also invites each aspiring traveler to put on their walking shoes to meet them. The book, published in French, is also translated into German.
The Fermes-Auberges de Haute-Alsace guide, published by ID Édition (“Guide Images et Découvertes” collection), is sold for €9.
It is available in particular in bookstores, supermarkets and tourist offices, or by correspondence (at the headquarters of the Association des fermes-auberges du Haut-Rhin, BP 60337, Colmar cedex 68006, with 4 € postage in addition )
Ferme-Auberge Bruckenwald
30 minutes on foot from the Lachtelweiher.
Access by car: go up the Masevaux valley to Niederbruck.
From the church, a forest path (4Km) leads to the farm. Access by car is strongly discouraged.
You can get there on foot from Lac du Lachtelweiher (30 mins).
Phone. 03 89 38 87 50