The Kochersberg is a natural region of the french

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 département of Bas-Rhin

Bas-Rhin

Bas-Rhin is a department of France. The name means "Lower Rhine". It is the more populous and densely populated of the two departments of the Alsace region, with 1,079,013 inhabitants in 2006.- History :...

 in Alsace

Alsace

Alsace is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France, with ca. 220 inhabitants per km²...

 and is a part of the hills found along the eastern side of the Vosges mountains

Vosges mountains

For the department of France of the same name, see Vosges.The Vosges are a range of low mountains in eastern France, near its border with Germany. They extend along the west side of the Rhine valley in a northnortheast direction, mainly from Belfort to Saverne...

. It gave its name to the Community of Communes of the Kochersberg

Community of Communes of the Kochersberg

The Community of Communes of the Kochersberg is a French intercommunal structure gathering most of the communes of the natural region of Kochersberg, département of Bas-Rhin, région Alsace....

.

Its name comes from the Kochersberg hill; its highest peak (301 m), stands over Neugartheim-Ittlenheim

Neugartheim-Ittlenheim

Neugartheim-Ittlenheim is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.On the top of the Kochersberg stood a castle built in the 13th century...

.

A castle was built on its top in the 13th century but was destroyed three centuries later. Its only relief is its peripheral ditch.

Between 1794 and 1797, a semaphore tower was built in its place. It was the second relay (after Dingsheim

Dingsheim

Dingsheim is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.-See also:*Communes of the Bas-Rhin department*Community of Communes of the Kochersberg*Kochersberg-References:*...

), of the optical telegraph line from Strasbourg

Strasbourg

Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...

 to Paris

Paris

Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

 via Saverne

Saverne

Saverne is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France. It is situated on the Rhine-Marne canal at the foot of a pass over the Vosges Mountains, and 45 km N.W...

 and its pass

Col de Saverne

The Col de Saverne is a natural pass in the north of the Vosges mountains, near Saverne, which permits travel between the département of Bas-Rhin, région Alsace and the département of Moselle, région Lorraine.Lines of communication that traverse the Saverne Pass include national highway RN 4 and...

and was used until 1852.

This relay has been replaced in the late 20th century by a motionless memorial which can still be seen (weather permitting), from ten kilometers away.