"Homage" is limited edition #4 from the "An Autumn in Alsace" Collection.

This was the most surprising and thought provoking find during my exploration of the Alsace Wine Route: a National Necropolis that pays homage to 1601 fallen heroes of the French First Army who died defending what was then known as the Colmar pocket. This Necropolis was built at Shigolsheim heights, which overlooks the rolling Alsatian vineyards and their villages, and the Vosges mountains.

In early 1945, allied and German forces fought a series of battles in the German-occupied Colmar Pocket. During these battles the Sigolsheim Heights saw violet fighting, with German forces dubbing the heights “Blutberg” (Bloody Mountain). It was a strategic position that overlooked much of the lower lying terrain and had to be held at all cost. German forces resisted heavily but lost their position when the commander of the German forces fled. Most of the villages at the base of the heights were in ruins by then.

This fitting location was chosen for a national necropolis by General de Lattre and General Guillaume (president of the Rhine and Danube Association), where over 48 rows are buried 792 Muslim, 773 Christian and 19 Jewish soldiers, each distinguishable from the shape of their tombstone. A beautiful tribute to the martyrs of a needless war: united in death, but honoring their diversity.

A memorial honoring the American forces who fought under French command for the liberation of the Colmar Pocket overlooks the cemetery.

Attributes

Artist: Sanqueira
Type: Limited Edition; collectable 4 of 5 of the “An Autumn in Alsace” collection
Year: 2022
Location: Shigolsheim, France
Camera: Canon EOS 7D
Lens: Canon EF-S 18-135 mm
ISO: 100
Aperture: f/9.0
Shutter speed: 1/500 s
Focal length: 80.0 mm.

License: NFT can be used in advertising, private displays and in exhibitions by the NFT holder, as long as artist is credited. Provides no rights to create commercial merchandise, commercial distribution or derivative works. The artist holds the Copyright.