Grand Ballon - Vosges - France. 1424 m (4672 ft)
Posted by: 
CrAzYoTa
N 47° 54.053 E 007° 05.898
32T E 357873 N 5307033
Le Grand-Ballon, with summit in 1424 m (4672 ft) altitude, is not only the highest summit in the Vosges mountains but also is the highest point of the Alsace French region (Région Alsace).
Waymark Code: WMT0N9
Location: Grand-Est, France
Date Posted: 09/04/2016
Views: 4
The Grand Ballon (German: Großer Belchen) or Great Belchen is the highest mountain of the Vosges, located 25 kilometres northwest of Mulhouse, France. It is also the highest point of the Alsace French region.
Some still call it Ballon de Guebwiller, after the name of the closest town, Guebwiller, located 8 km to the east. It is 1,423.7 metres high, according to the Institut Géographique National (IGN).
The well known Route des Crêtes (French for "route of the peaks") circumvents the mountain top around east, crossing a mountain pass at an altitude of 1,343 m, between Le Markstein winter sports station and Hartmannswillerkopf, a rocky spur.
The mountain is part of the so-called Belchen System, a group of mountains with the name "Belchen" (in German) that may have been part of a Celtic sun calendar.
(source wikipedia)
The Grand-Ballon is well-known to hiking, downhill skiing and cross-country ski enthusiasts. Tourism expanded in the Grand-Ballon in the 19th century with the advent of railroads in the valleys. On top of the Grand-Ballon summit stands the Diables Bleus monument erected by the Club Alpin Français and the Club Vosgien in tribute to the victims of the batallions of mountain infantry who fought in the First World War.
Radar for civil aviation, located at the summit of Grand-Ballon, was designed as an architectural work by its creator Claude Vasconi and built in 1997. From underneath the radome, you can access an orientation table providing magnificent views.