History
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The Monthabey Garden, Ancestor of the Chitelet Garden
The Monthabey garden, the ancestor of the Chitelet garden, was the first botanical garden created on the Route des Crêtes, and it was founded in 1903 on the initiative of the Club Alpin of Nancy. In 1911 it was incorporated into the Nancy Faculty of Sciences. It was completely destroyed during the First World War, shortly after its official opening in July 1914.
A New Site for the Chitelet Garden
In 1954 the forestry administration gave a plot of land to Université de Nancy between Col de la Schlucht and the Hohneck summit on Route des Crêtes. At the request of the director of Nancy’s botanical garden, plans and topographic surveys were drawn up. For three summers, young German and French horticulturists volunteered to create this new garden. The first plantings were carried out in 1968 and the Haut Chitelet High Altitude Garden opened the following year.
Further Improvements
In 1989 a reception chalet was built, and a year later it was improved into a modern technical chalet with more suitable premises.
In 2013 the Faigne-Charlemagne bogland, which is part of the garden's reserve, was enhanced with the support of the Conservatoire des espaces naturels de Lorraine (association for the protection of Lorraine’s natural heritage).
Every year – for more than 60 years – the Haut Chitelet High Altitude Garden has been evolving, becoming more beautiful and providing both scientists and nature enthusiasts with a constant subject for study and wonder.