Vosges
Encyclopedia
Vosges is a French
department, named after the local mountain range
. It contains the hometown of Joan of Arc
, Domrémy
.
. It was made of territories that had been part of the province
of Lorraine
. In German
it is referred to as Vogesen.
In 1793 the independent principality of Salm-Salm
(town of Senones
and its surroundings), enclosed inside the Vosges department, was annexed to France and incorporated into Vosges. In 1795 the area of Schirmeck
was detached from the Bas-Rhin
department and incorporated into the Vosges department. The Vosges department had now an area of 6,127 km² (2,366 sq. miles) which it kept until 1871.
In 1794 the Vosges was the site of a major battle between the forces of Revolutionary France and the Allied Coalition. See Battle of the Vosges
.
The Place des Vosges
in Paris
was so renamed in 1799 when the department became the first to pay the new Revolutionary
taxes.
After the French defeat in the Franco-Prussian War
of 1870-1871, 4% of the Vosges department in the extreme northeast of the department were annexed to the German Empire
by the Treaty of Frankfurt
on the ground that the people there spoke Germanic dialects. The area annexed on May 18, 1871 corresponded to the canton
of Schirmeck and the northern half of the canton of Saales
. Schirmeck and Saales had been historically part of Alsace
. These territories, along with the rest of Alsace
and the annexed territories of Lorraine, became part of the Reichsland of Elsaß-Lothringen
. The area of the Vosges department was thus reduced to its current 5,874 km² (2,268 sq. miles).
In 1919, with the French victory in the First World War, Alsace-Lorraine was returned to France by Germany at the Treaty of Versailles
. However, Schirmeck and Saales were not returned to the Vosges department, but instead were incorporated into the recreated Bas-Rhin
department.
, Saint-Dié-des-Vosges
, Gérardmer
and Remiremont
.
While the west part of the Vosges is flat sedimentary land (well suited for mineral waters), the east is closed by an old granite mountain (top is Grand Ballon
, 1424m).
The Saône
river
rises at Vioménil
, in the Vosges.
fortified town of Grand
, located 30 km from Toul
, has an amphitheatre
and a temple to the Cult of Apollo.
General Council website Prefecture website Vosges Tourism Guide Vosges vacations Information - Vosges.us
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...
department, named after the local mountain range
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 contains the hometown of Joan of Arc
Joan of Arc
Saint Joan of Arc, nicknamed "The Maid of Orléans" , is a national heroine of France and a Roman Catholic saint. A peasant girl born in eastern France who claimed divine guidance, she led the French army to several important victories during the Hundred Years' War, which paved the way for the...
, Domrémy
Domremy
Domremy or Domrémy is part of the name of several communes in France:* Domremy-la-Canne, in the Meuse department* Domrémy-la-Pucelle, in the Vosges department, formerly Domrémy, which was the birthplace of Joan of Arc...
.
History
The Vosges department is one of the original 83 departments of France, created on February 9, 1790 during the French RevolutionFrench Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
. It was made of territories that had been part of the province
Provinces of France
The Kingdom of France was organised into provinces until March 4, 1790, when the establishment of the département system superseded provinces. The provinces of France were roughly equivalent to the historic counties of England...
of Lorraine
Lorraine (province)
The Duchy of Upper Lorraine was an historical duchy roughly corresponding with the present-day northeastern Lorraine region of France, including parts of modern Luxembourg and Germany. The main cities were Metz, Verdun, and the historic capital Nancy....
. In German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
it is referred to as Vogesen.
In 1793 the independent principality of Salm-Salm
Salm-Salm
The Principality of Salm-Salm was a state of the Holy Roman Empire. It was located in the present-day French départements of the Bas-Rhin and the Vosges and was one of a number of partitions of Salm.-History:...
(town of Senones
Senones, Vosges
Senones is a commune in the Vosges department in Lorraine in northeastern France.Until 1793, Senones was the capital of the Principality of Salm-Salm.- External links :*...
and its surroundings), enclosed inside the Vosges department, was annexed to France and incorporated into Vosges. In 1795 the area of Schirmeck
Schirmeck
Schirmeck is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.-References:*...
was detached from the 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 :...
department and incorporated into the Vosges department. The Vosges department had now an area of 6,127 km² (2,366 sq. miles) which it kept until 1871.
In 1794 the Vosges was the site of a major battle between the forces of Revolutionary France and the Allied Coalition. See Battle of the Vosges
Battle of the Vosges
The Battle of the Vosges also known as the Battle of Tripstadt was fought on 13 July 1794 in eastern France in the Vosges Mountains from which it derives its name.-The Introduction:...
.
The Place des Vosges
Place des Vosges
The Place des Vosges is the oldest planned square in Paris.It is located in the Marais district, and it straddles the dividing-line between the 3rd and 4th arrondissements of Paris.- History :...
in 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...
was so renamed in 1799 when the department became the first to pay the new Revolutionary
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
taxes.
After the French defeat in the Franco-Prussian War
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
of 1870-1871, 4% of the Vosges department in the extreme northeast of the department were annexed to the German Empire
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
by the Treaty of Frankfurt
Treaty of Frankfurt (1871)
The Treaty of Frankfurt was a peace treaty signed in Frankfurt on 10 May 1871, at the end of the Franco-Prussian War.- Summary :The treaty did the following:...
on the ground that the people there spoke Germanic dialects. The area annexed on May 18, 1871 corresponded to the canton
Cantons of France
The cantons of France are territorial subdivisions of the French Republic's 342 arrondissements and 101 departments.Apart from their role as organizational units in certain aspects of the administration of public services and justice, the chief purpose of the cantons today is to serve as...
of Schirmeck and the northern half of the canton of Saales
Saales
Saales is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.-References:*...
. Schirmeck and Saales had been historically part of 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...
. These territories, along with the rest of 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 the annexed territories of Lorraine, became part of the Reichsland of Elsaß-Lothringen
Alsace-Lorraine
The Imperial Territory of Alsace-Lorraine was a territory created by the German Empire in 1871 after it annexed most of Alsace and the Moselle region of Lorraine following its victory in the Franco-Prussian War. The Alsatian part lay in the Rhine Valley on the west bank of the Rhine River and east...
. The area of the Vosges department was thus reduced to its current 5,874 km² (2,268 sq. miles).
In 1919, with the French victory in the First World War, Alsace-Lorraine was returned to France by Germany at the Treaty of Versailles
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was one of the peace treaties at the end of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June 1919, exactly five years after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The other Central Powers on the German side of...
. However, Schirmeck and Saales were not returned to the Vosges department, but instead were incorporated into the recreated 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 :...
department.
Geography
The largest cities are ÉpinalÉpinal
Épinal is a commune in northeastern France and the capital of the Vosges department. Inhabitants are known as Spinaliens.-Geography:The commune has a land area of 59.24 km²...
, Saint-Dié-des-Vosges
Saint-Dié-des-Vosges
Saint-Dié-des-Vosges, commonly referred to as Saint-Dié, is a commune in the Vosges department in Lorraine in northeastern France.It is a sub-prefecture of the department.-Geography:...
, Gérardmer
Gérardmer
Gérardmer is a commune in the Vosges department in Lorraine in northeastern France.-Culture:The Fantastic'Arts festival of horror and fantastic film has been held in Gérardmer each year since 1994.-External links:...
and Remiremont
Remiremont
Remiremont is a commune in the Vosges department in Lorraine in northeastern France.Inhabitants are called Romarimontains.-Geography:Remiremont is located on the Moselle, close to its confluence with the Moselotte, southeast of Épinal...
.
While the west part of the Vosges is flat sedimentary land (well suited for mineral waters), the east is closed by an old granite mountain (top is Grand Ballon
Grand Ballon
Le Grand Ballon is the apex of the Vosges Mountains, located 25 kilometres northwest of Mulhouse, France.Some still call it Ballon de Guebwiller, after the name of the closest city, Guebwiller, located 8 km to the east...
, 1424m).
The Saône
Saône
The Saône is a river of eastern France. It is a right tributary of the River Rhône. Rising at Vioménil in the Vosges department, it joins the Rhône in Lyon....
river
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
rises at Vioménil
Vioménil
Vioménil is a commune in the Vosges department in Lorraine in northeastern France.Inhabitants are known as Viamanciliens, after the Roman name of the commune, Viamansalis.-Geography:...
, in the Vosges.
Culture
The RomanAncient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
fortified town of Grand
Grand, Vosges
Grand is a commune in the Vosges department in Lorraine in northeastern France.Grand is known for its Roman amphitheatre, mosaics and aqueduct.- External links :*...
, located 30 km from Toul
Toul
Toul is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France.It is a sub-prefecture of the department.-Geography:Toul is located between Commercy and Nancy, and situated between the Moselle River and the Canal de la Marne au Rhin....
, has an amphitheatre
Amphitheatre
An amphitheatre is an open-air venue used for entertainment and performances.There are two similar, but distinct, types of structure for which the word "amphitheatre" is used: Ancient Roman amphitheatres were large central performance spaces surrounded by ascending seating, and were commonly used...
and a temple to the Cult of Apollo.
See also
- Cantons of the Vosges department
- Communes of the Vosges department
- Arrondissements of the Vosges department
External links
Vosges.com Economic information about the Vosges- Climbbybike.com: All information on and profiles of the climbs and cols of the Vosges
General Council website Prefecture website Vosges Tourism Guide Vosges vacations Information - Vosges.us