Visiting Bust: a quiet village in Alsace Bossue

On the borders of the Bas-Rhin and the Moselle, Bust is a small rural village in Alsace Bossue, the part of Alsace that lies west of the Northern Vosges, on the Lorraine plateau. There are no crowds or grand monuments here, but open landscapes of meadows, fields and forests, an unusual religious history and quick access to some of the finest sites in the Northern Vosges.

Bust at a glance

• Département: Bas-Rhin (67), arrondissement of Saverne, canton of Ingwiller
• Grouping of municipalities: Communauté de communes de l’Alsace Bossue
• Population: around 470
• Location: about 5 km from Drulingen and a few kilometres from La Petite-Pierre

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Heritage: a church steeped in history

Bust’s history mirrors that of Alsace Bossue, a land of fragmented lordships. The Reformation was introduced in part of the village in 1556, while the other part, which belonged to the Fénétrange-Brackenkopf family, remained Catholic. In 1686, under Louis XIV, a simultaneum was imposed: Protestants and Catholics had to share the same church, a situation that lasted until 1852.

The church itself has had several lives. The 14th-century building collapsed on Christmas Day 1754; a new church was built in 1761, then replaced in 1912 by the present neo-Renaissance church. It still has stained-glass windows from 1912 attributed to the Stuttgart master glassmaker Valentin Saile. Take time, too, to look at the village farmhouses, typical of rural architecture in Alsace Bossue.

Nature and hiking around Bust

The village is a good starting point for exploring, on foot or by bike, the rolling landscapes of Alsace Bossue and the sandstone forests of the Northern Vosges, designated a cross-border UNESCO biosphere reserve together with the neighbouring Palatinate Forest (Pfälzerwald).

• Graufthal (in the commune of Eschbourg), about 4 km away: its cave houses, carved into a pink sandstone cliff and lived in until the 20th century, are one of the most astonishing curiosities in the region. A loop of about 12 km (4 hours’ walk) links Graufthal with the Rocher des Païens.
• Tieffenbach and the surrounding area: several waymarked trails cross the forest and pass impressive sandstone rocks.
• The Club Vosgien trails around La Petite-Pierre offer walks of a few hours through the forest.

Nearby sights

• La Petite-Pierre (about 7 km as the crow flies): a small fortified town overlooked by its castle, which houses the visitor centre of the Northern Vosges Regional Nature Park.
• Drulingen (about 5 km): the small central town of Alsace Bossue, with shops and services.
• Saverne (around 20 km): the Château des Rohan, half-timbered houses, a marina on the Marne–Rhine Canal and, above the town, Haut-Barr castle, nicknamed “the eye of Alsace”.
• Strasbourg is about an hour’s drive away.

Practical information

Bust is best reached by car; the most convenient railway station for the area is Saverne, on the Strasbourg–Paris line. For accommodation, you’ll find gîtes and B&Bs in the villages of Alsace Bossue and around La Petite-Pierre. The best time to enjoy the trails is from April to October; autumn, with its colourful forests, is particularly beautiful.

Bust will appeal to travellers looking for peace and authenticity: a discreet village, a church with an unusual past and, all around, the pink sandstone and forests of the Northern Vosges waiting to be explored.

Enzo

Hi, I'm Enzo! I'm the guy who loves lacing up his hiking boots to explore the rugged trails of the Vosges. Passionate about nature and photography, I take you along through articles that capture the scent of fir forests and the charm of mountain lakes. I live for those moments when the sun rises over the Haut-Koenigsbourg or when I stumble upon an authentic inn along the way. My goal? To inspire you to get out, breathe in the fresh Alsatian air, and always have a great spot for a tarte flambée to share at the end of the day.

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