After the Treaty of Ryswick in 1697, France had to give the fortress of Breisach, on the right bank of the Rhine, back to the Habsburgs, and Louis XIV needed a new stronghold to guard the river. His engineer Vauban designed it from scratch on an empty plain on the left bank: Neuf-Brisach, a perfect octagon of walls, bastions and moats, with a grid of streets inside and a large central square with a church and a parade ground. Built between 1698 and the early eighteenth century, it was Vauban's last great work and is often considered his masterpiece. It is one of the twelve groups of Fortifications of Vauban, listed by UNESCO in 2008.
Seen from the air, the town looks like a star-shaped diagram, and even from the ground, walking along the walls and through the gates, the geometric order is striking. The Porte de Belfort, one of the gates, houses a small museum about Vauban and the fortifications. The town itself is quiet, with a few shops and cafés around the square.
Across the Rhine, Breisach am Rhein sits on a hill above the river, with its cathedral, St Stephen's, on the summit, and it is the gateway to the Kaiserstuhl, a small volcanic range covered in vineyards, with winding roads through terraced hills, and to the Black Forest beyond. On the French side, the Alsace Wine Route winds through vineyards and villages at the foot of the Vosges, with half-timbered houses, storks' nests on the rooftops, and wine cellars at every turn. Colmar, about twenty kilometres away, is one of the most charming towns in Alsace, with canals and colourful houses.
For riders, the area offers a mix of flat riding on the Rhine plain and more interesting roads in the Kaiserstuhl, the Vosges and the Black Forest. The Route des Crêtes, along the ridges of the Vosges, is a classic ride, with views over the Rhine plain and the Black Forest. Traffic can be heavy on the main roads, especially around Colmar.
Volgelsheim, about two kilometres away, has fuel and basic services; Breisach, about five kilometres away, is larger. Try a tarte flambée, a thin, crispy flatbread topped with cream, onions and bacon, or a choucroute garnie, sauerkraut with sausages and pork, with a glass of Alsace Riesling or Gewürztraminer. And walk the ramparts of Neuf-Brisach at sunset, when the light catches the stone and the shadows reveal the geometry of Vauban's design.