ALSACAT:

ALSACAT is my comprehensive catalog of UFO sighting reports in Alsace, the region is the North-East of France, whether they are "explained" or "unexplained".

The ALSACAT catalog is made of case files with a case number, summary, quantitative information (date, location, number of witnesses...), classifications, all sources mentioning the case with their references, a discussion of the case in order to evaluate its causes, and a history of the changes made to the file. A general index and thematic sub-catalogs give access to these Alsatian case files.

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Case of the Grand Hohnack, circa 1400:

Case number:

ALSACAT-1400-00-00-GRANDHOHNACK-1

Summary:

In the collective book "Mystérieuses Soucoupes Volantes" ("Mysterious Flying Saucers") of the ufology group "Lumières Dans La Nuit", published in 1973 under the direction of the ufologist Fernand Lagarde, some "old" cases were presented, without making any broad assertions, and very summarily otherwise - generally without any detail.

For the alleged sighting of the "Holy Virgin" at Les Trois-Epis on May 3, 1491, it was thus noted that among the sightings that would have taken place nearby, there would have been one at "Grand-Honach."

Data:

Temporal data:

Date:	Circa 1400?
Time:	?
Duration:	?
First known report date:	1973
Reporting delay:	5 centuries.

Geographical data:

Department:	Haut-Rhin
City:	The Grand Hohnack
Place:	?
Latitude:	48.086
Longitude:	7.190
Uncertainty radius:	1 km.

Witnesses data:

Number of alleged witnesses:	?
Number of known witnesses:	?
Number of named witnesses:	?
Witness(es) ages:	?
Witness(es) types:	?

Ufology data:

Reporting channel:	UFO book.
Type of location:	Mountain top.
Visibility conditions:	?
UFO observed:	?
UFO arrival observed:	?
UFO departure observed:	?
Entities:	?
Photographs:	No.
Sketch(s) by witness(es):	No.
Sketch(es) approved by witness(es):	No.
Witness(es) feelings:	?
Witnesses interpretation:	?

Classifications:

Hynek:	?
ALSACAT:	Totally insufficient information.

Sources:

[Ref. fle1:] FERNAND LAGARDE - LUMIERES DANS LA NUIT GROUP:

Trois-Epis (Guide, p. 731).

Near there, observations in Labaroche, Grand-Honach, etc. A dazzling light appeared to the black-smith of Orbey, and in the middle, the Blessed Virgin...

The author or authors indicated that the source is Guide de la France religieuse et mystique by Maurice Colignon [sic, Maurice Colinon], Tchou publisher.

Discussion:

The Grand Hohnack, not "Grand-Honach", a peak in the Vosges mountains at 980 meters, is not poor in legends of all kinds:

A "giant" living at the top of the Grand Hohnack came every day to the plain to harvest vegetables and fruits. As there were large boulders hampering his walk at the bottom of the mountain, he kicked them aside and this created the valley of Munster. The legend said that the giant still sleeps, in his tomb named the "Riesengrab" ("the giant tomb") under a rocky pile that scatters for several meters at the summit, and that his breathing and his sighs can be heard in the mountains nearby.
At the top of the Grand Hohnack, there is a hollow rock, with several large carved basins that served as a place of worship for the Celts, named "Hexenkessel" ("Tank of the Witches" or "Cauldron of the Witches")

But I found no trace of anything even remotely akin to a "UFO sighting report".

The Grand Hohnack is 3 kilometers from Labaroche, I cannot exclude that what Fernand Lagarde presented as two distinct observations are only one. But since he says nothing about either onea, and as I found nothing about either ones, how do I know?

Evaluation:

Totally insufficient information.

Sources references:

* = Source is available to me.
? = Source I am told about but could not get so far. Help needed.

[mcn1] ? "Guide de la France religieuse et mystique", book by Maurice Colinon, Tchou publisher, France, 1969.
[fle1] * "Mystérieuses Soucoupes Volantes", book by Fernand Lagarde with the ufology group "Lumières Dans La Nuit", Albatros publishers, page 282, France, 1973.

File history:

Authoring:

Main author:	Patrick Gross
Contributors:	None
Reviewers:	None
Editor:	Patrick Gross

Changes history:

Version:	Create/changed by:	Date:	Description:
0.1	Patrick Gross	January 21, 2023	Creation, [fle1].
1.0	Patrick Gross	January 21, 2023	First published.

This page was last updated on January 21, 2023.