The Staufen - The Cross of Lorraine

During the Second World War, the Cross of Lorraine was chosen as a strong symbol that corresponded to the rallying sign and the emblem of the National Liberation, initiated by Charles de Gaulle. At the end of the war, the desire to erect a monument dedicated to the Alsatian Resistance took shape.
The choice of location, facing the Rhine border and visible from the Alsace plain, was strategic. The first stone was laid on August 1, 1948 by General de Gaulle himself.
The monument, made of reinforced concrete, 12 meters high, in just 4 weeks, was inaugurated on July 10, 1949.
Symbol of the Alsatian Resistance, it was blown up twice in March and September 1981.
Temporarily replaced by a wooden cross, the new Staufen Cross was inaugurated on June 18, 1986.
It now lights up the town of Thann, in memory of the flame of the Resistance, mentioned in General de Gaulle's Appeal on June 18, 1940. From there, the panorama extends towards the Alsace plain, Mulhouse and the foothills of the Swiss Jura.