Border marker

This rounded border marker in painted iron bears the inscription Deutsches Reich (German Empire) and the emblem of Germany, depicting an eagle atop a crown, which was adopted in 1888 under the reign of Emperor Wilhelm II.
On August 4, 1914, the 152nd infantry regiment, stationed in the sector of Gérardmer, received notice of the declaration of war. The 1st battalion and the 4th platoon of the 11th regiment of mounted chasseurs evacuated the homes on the Schlucht Pass in the Vosges mountains and knocked down this border marker as a symbolic act marking the temporary presence of French troops on Alsatian soil.