The Ill Ried gives Muttersholz a clear focus for nature and landscape enthusiasts: the Ill floodplain is home to wildlife and plant life typical of wetland habitats that have become rare. There are also educational trails, an orienteering game and activities offered by the Maison de la Nature. Two conditions are particularly important when planning: SensoRied operates seasonally from May to September, and flooding can restrict access to trails.
Ried, educational trails and water levels
The Ried de l’Ill à Muttersholtz is a type 1 continental ZNIEFF area and includes the municipality. A large part of the Ried lies within the Rhin Ried Bruch de l’Andlau Special Protection Area, sector 7. Together with the wetlands, these landscape features shape the area’s focus on nature. When planning excursions, you can choose between trails with different themes: some provide information about nature and the environment, while others follow the river or highlight local ecological and energy transition initiatives.
SensoRied is a 1.5-kilometre barefoot trail with information panels about nature, agriculture and the environment. It operates seasonally from May to September. Botaried focuses on botany and digital content: the educational trail in Muttersholz is open year-round, except during periods of flooding. The two trails therefore differ both in their themes and in their access conditions.
The Sentier de la Mouette is two kilometres long, follows the Ill River and crosses a dam. It is impassable during floods. Access to Botaried is also subject to flood conditions. When choosing a route for a particular visit, take these restrictions into account; a quick check of current water levels will help you decide between the trails.
The Chemins de la Transition offer another way to engage with the surrounding area. This freely accessible educational trail uses information panels to present ten concrete local ecological and energy transition initiatives. While SensoRied uses panels to connect nature, agriculture and the environment, this trail focuses on putting change into practice locally.
Nature activities and discoveries in the village
There are different ways to experience nature and the landscape beyond the educational trails. Le Batelier du Ried offers several discovery tours in flat-bottomed boats departing from Muttersholz. The tours explore nature, history or imaginative themes. The Maison de la Nature runs nature excursions and workshops on transformation, with several programmes offered year-round. If you are planning your trip for a specific date, check which programme is scheduled then.
Les Mystères du Ried is an orienteering game in the centre of Muttersholz. This adds an activity with a different focus to the nature trails. When choosing excursions to suit your interests, you can explore the panels on nature and agriculture, local transformation initiatives, a boat tour or the orienteering game individually, rather than planning all the activities as similar types of trail.
Church, remembrance and the history of technology
The Protestant Church of Saint-Urbain reflects several phases of construction. Its oldest part is a chancel tower believed to date from the 13th century. A larger choir with a polygonal end was added in the 14th or early 15th century. The tower and the later choir give the church its own architectural history, although the earliest dating remains explicitly tentative.
In Muttersholz, Stolpersteine commemorate local residents who were victims of the Shoah. In 1897, the Ehnwihr Mill was converted into a hydroelectric power station. Together with the church, these sites add a historical dimension alongside the natural heritage of the Ill Ried: from an installation dedicated explicitly to remembrance, to the architectural history of Saint-Urbain and the conversion of the mill into a hydroelectric power station.
Discover more destinations: Erstein, Dambach-La-Ville, Drachenbronn-Birlenbach, Ingwiller, Plobsheim, Scharrachbergheim-Irmstett, Urbeis, Duntzenheim.
For the broader travel overview: Bas-Rhin.
