Reiulf Ramstad Arkitekter & Parenthèse

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Chemin des Carrières

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If you recognise anything it is that I only write about projects I am passionate about and in truth they are innumerable; yet some stand out more than others, Buffelsdrift was one such and Chemin des Carrières is another. The project arrested my attention immediately because it is rich with enlightening elements. It appears simple yet is technically complex, historically rich and aesthetically dense. If undertaken on foot it requires some commitment. A gift that keeps on giving!

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Impetus driving the project!

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At the beginning, it was a landscape contest that we replied to. Parenthèse built a team with Reiulf in order to participate to this contest: we finally won.

Clara Conrath*

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Apart from the unparalleled beauty why does this work play magically in the margins of our unconscious? One that compels us to take another look and immediately organise a trip to France! The answer lies partly in the following explanation by Reiulf Ramstad Arkitekter:

Our work is diverse and every project has a singular destiny and story that adjusts to the surrounding social, economic and cultural conditions.

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The journey to discover forgotten landscapes or to take a different view on everyday landscapes is addressed to both local users and tourists.

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We designed the bicycle path and its places, with single architecture pieces, constructions, which were developed by Reiulf Ramstad Arkitekter.

Clara Conrath / Parenthèse

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Ominous, sometimes hidden, the vestiges of the railway still mark the reading of the site. The desire to create a route to serve the quarries had to adapt to the undulating landscapes of the sub-Vosges hills and the very form of the tracing tells the history of the landscape and the men.

Along the 11km path goes a story, which the stops split into five chapters of different sequences of landscapes offering varied universes and highlighting remarkable sites. Unusual elements punctuate the way, aiming at awakening the visitor’s senses, and water is encountered repeatedly.

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The circular / linear composition in Cor-ten encompasses a holistic process and point of view: the track holds the visitor directly and compels them to appreciate myriad aspects via the underlying technical and creative rigour. The totality promoted and realised in communal connections past and present.

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…the way we conceptualize architectural excellence is an ongoing process, always in a flux.

Reiulf Ramstad Arkitekter

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Firms like RRA and Parenthèse are self-consciously visionary, this means projects like Chemin des Carrières embrace diverse concepts and specialised expertise. In this case architecture, art, landscape architecture, social history, leisure and an intricate relationship with nature.

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It was commissioned by the “Communauté de Communes des Portes de Rosheim” which is a collective town project, consisting of Rosheim, Boersch, Ottrott and Saint-Nabor: all towns the cycle path intersects with. It was completed in 2019.

Parenthèse

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Chemin des Carrières represents both a significant cultural moment and an endowment that will inspire generations of visitors. Whether you embark on part or undertake the full extent the trail broadly enables a journey of connections with oneself and history, as well as nature, place and process.

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Rosheim:

The little town of Rosheim, at the foot of Mont Saint-Odile near Obernai, is renowned for its beautiful Romanesque buildings. The Church of Saints Peter and Paul, all in yellow sandstone, was built in the 12th century and is a must-see on the Alsace Romanesque Route. The Church of St. Stephen, built at the end of the 18th century, is a fine example of the region’s Neo-Classical architecture. Its plans were inspired by Ancient Rome, with its four Doric columns and its colossal façade housing a statue of St. Odile.

It’s also worth taking a detour via Rosheim to admire the Romanesque House on Rue du Général de Gaulle. Also known as the Pagan House, it’s one of the oldest stone houses in Alsace. Built in 1154, this pink sandstone edifice is a remarkable example of medieval civil architecture. The Romanesque town has a few more gems: its four monumental gates which were once part of the old ramparts, one of which features a Clock Tower, the Renaissance well with six buckets and the medieval garden adorned with domestic and wild plants. This calm and peaceful spot, far from the crowds, is a lovely place to stop for a rest.

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