Étival-Clairefontaine lies on the banks of the Meurthe, at the confluences of the Meurthe with the Rabodeau and the Valdange. To the west, the Ban d’Étival state forest and the communal forest extend on both sides of the Vieux Prés stream.
Renting a holiday apartment in Étival-Clairefontaine can be part of your travel planning.
Nature
The Voie verte Chemin des Abbayes is a 16-kilometre-long, level route for walking, cycling and rollerblading. It passes the abbeys and the former fortifications of Étival Abbey.
Hikers can take the moderately difficult Jean BOLOT trail: The route is 12 kilometres long, has an elevation gain of 238 metres and a stated duration of three hours. The 6-kilometre-long Les Pingouins trail includes, among other features, a viewpoint at Roche des Corbeaux. The Boucle patrimoine no. 17 “Les 3 abbayes” complements the network of routes as a cycling route; the moderately difficult, 28.5-kilometre circular cycling tour starts and ends in Étival-Clairefontaine.
Culture and history
The Vierge des Grâces chapel stands in the Clairefontaine state forest. It is a pilgrimage site on 16 August. The Chapelle Notre-Dame des Grâces was built in the mid-19th century and is dedicated to the Virgin Mary.
Papeteries de Clairefontaine was founded in Étival-Clairefontaine in 1858. At its site, paper, envelopes and notebooks continue to be its three areas of activity.
Étival-Clairefontaine Abbey Church is Romanesque and has a Gothic choir. Étival-Clairefontaine Abbey lies on the Route des 3 Abbayes on the banks of the Valdange. Étival became an important Premonstratensian abbey in 1147.
The Pierre d’Appel lies at the eastern end of a former fortification system that was 900 metres long and could reach up to 11 metres in height; the complex was classified as a historic monument in 1969. The Pierre d’Appel viewpoint consists of sandstone blocks that form five superimposed platforms over a distance of more than 60 metres. A Celtic oppidum was built on the Pierre d’Appel between 250 and 170 BC.
The Ferme musée presents old crafts and objects that once belonged to everyday life. It is located in a farm complex dating from 1900, typical of the Vosges.
Visitor information
Étival Abbey is open year-round from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. At Étival-Clairefontaine Abbey, self-guided visits and guided tours are available on request.
Other places in the same area: Destord, Hennezel, Rouvres-La-Chétive, Dombasle-Devant-Darney, Bellefontaine, Le Val-D'ajol, Bains-Les-Bains, Taintrux.
