The best road cycling routes around Bendorf

Altkirch Altkirch is the historic capital of the Sundgau and lies on a striking rocky spur above the valley of the Ill. The town's origins date back to the Middle Ages. The Counts of Ferrette built Altkirch into a fortified town; from 1215 onwards, it was protected by town walls and towers. The characteristic layout, narrow streets, and remnants of the fortifications have been preserved from this medieval town plan to this day. Particularly worth seeing is the Vieille Porte, a former town gate from around 1245. For centuries, Altkirch was an important administrative and commercial center of the Sundgau. After the destructions of the Thirty Years' War, numerous buildings were newly erected. The representative town hall dates from the 18th century, built in 1778 according to plans by the Swabian architect Jean Nissler. In the 19th century, the town continued to develop: alongside its traditional importance as a market and trading place, industrial enterprises emerged, including the well-known Gilardoni brickworks. The 20th century also left its mark. After the First World War, Altkirch became part of the re-Frenchified Alsace. The memory of this period is evident, among other things, at the Vieille Porte, where a Borne Vauthier commemorates the former front line of 1918. The original Altkirch war memorial from 1927 was destroyed during the German occupation in the Second World War; preserved parts were later integrated into a new memorial. Today, Altkirch, with around 6,000 inhabitants, is an important center of the Sundgau. The historic upper town with its old houses, remnants of fortifications, the town hall, and the Sundgau Museum continues to shape the townscape. Source: Ville d’Altkirch – History of the town

Right on the border between France and Switzerland, near Pfetterhouse, lies one of the many watersheds. It's impressive to consider that a few meters here determine whether the water flows south toward the Mediterranean or into the North Sea. Apart from an informative sign, all that remains is a sports field and the abandoned Swiss border post.

The former Altkirch-Waldighofen railway line has been converted into a cycle path in some sections, leading through fields and forests without disturbing car traffic. Highly recommended!

Directly on the cycle path between Bettendorf and Hirsingue stands a small chapel flanked by two bushes.

There are just so many magnificent well-kept Alsatian half-timbered houses along this route, take your time and enjoy the beauty of them. There are also several cafés and restaurants along the way

The road from Oltingue to Altkirch is lined with so many nice typical Alsatian half-timbered houses, giving one the feeling of what a typical village looked like 100 years ago. The street running through the villages here is in need of some surface repairs.

In 1913 and 1914, following the ideas of Johann Knauth, architect of Strasbourg Cathedral and curator of the M.H., the nave, the side chapel of the Sacré-Coeur, the Saint-Joseph Chapel in the basement, and the sacristy were rebuilt in the Gothic style by the architect Alexandre Louvat from Mulhouse. The old Gothic nave, remodeled in the 18th century, was decorated with murals dating from 1491. To the south of the choir was a small chapel dating from the 14th and 15th centuries, with cross-ribbed vaults on consoles. To the north were the remains of the old priory cloister. On the site of the present Sacred Heart Chapel was the 18th-century Mount of Olives, the rood screen of which was removed in 1861.

Beautiful route without cars