Remiremont > Morteau

VOSGES (88)

Population: 360,673

Prefecture: Épinal

Sub-prefectures: Neufchâteau, Saint-Dié-des-Vosges

Surface area: 5,874 km²

Specialties: Munster gérômé, tofailles, fumé, blueberry tart, Vosges sweets, fruit and flower crus, Vosges honey, Val d'Ajol andouille, Plombières ice cream, Vosges salad

Sports clubs: EHC (Epinal Hockey Club), SAS Football, Epinal Handball, SAS Volley, Les Louves de Saint-Dié (volleyball), ASR Tennis de table Etival-Raon, ASGE Basket, GESN canoe-kayak

Competitions: Granfondo Vosges, Open 88 Grand Est, Michelin Enduro des Hautes Vosges, XTerra France de Xonrupt-Longemer, Triathlon de Gérardmer, Infernal Trail des Vosges de Saint Nabord, Trail de la Vallée des Lacs, Aquathlon de Vittel, MTB XCO and Downhill World Cups in La Bresse, 2021 French Cycling Championships in Épinal

Athletes: Julien Absalon, Rémy Absalon, Nacer Bouhanni, Steve Chainel, Clément Noël, Romain Febvre, Fabien Claude, Emilien Claude, Florent Claude, Paula Botet, Sarah Vieuille, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot

Tourist sites: "Visages de Jehanne" interpretation centre at Domrémy-la-Pucelle, Joan of Arc House and the Basilica at Bois Chenu, the Gallo-Roman archaeological site at Grand, Le Théâtre du Peuple at Bussang, l'Imagerie d'Epinal, Les Hautes Mynes at Le Thillot, Les Abbayes de Saint-Dié-des-Vosges, Le Tétras 1139 at Col de la Schlucht and its interpretation centre, Stèle René Pottier at Saint Maurice sur Moselle. 4 spa resorts: Bains-les-Bains, Contrexéville, Plombières-les-Bains and Vittel. Skiing at Gérardmer and La Bresse

Festivals: International Geography Festival in Saint-Dié, Les Imaginales (festival of imaginary worlds) in Epinal, Fantastic'art Festival (fantasy film) and Daffodil Festival in Gérardmer, Festival of the Abbeys of Senones, Moyenmoutier and Etival, Saint-Dié Cathedral and Autrey Abbey, Joan of Arc Festival in Domrémy

Economy: Industrial nuggets in the wood and paper industry, such as Henryot & Cie and the famous Clairefontaine paper manufacturer in Etival. Numerous craftspeople, including the Mirecourt luthiers. More recent companies such as IN'BÔ, at the forefront of the manufacture of wooden spectacles, skateboards and bamboo bicycles using local and bio-sourced resources. The Vosges is also renowned for its textile industry (Garnier-Thiébaut, Jaquard Français, etc.). The Vosges department has developed the Je Vois la Vie en Vosges brand

Websites and social networks:
www.vosges.fr
www.tourisme.vosges.fr
https://jevoislavieenvosges.com
https://foret.vosges.fr
https://bike.vosges.fr

AUTE-SAÔNE (70)

Population: 238,347

Prefecture: Vesoul

Sub-prefecture: Lure

Surface area: 5,360 km²

Region: Burgundy-Franche-Comté

Specialties: Cancoillotte and Munster cheeses, Charcenne and Champlitte wines, Montbozon biscuits, Luxeuil ham, Passavant la Rochère glass and crystal works, Fougerolles Kirsch AOC

Main sports clubs: Tri Val de Gray (triathlon), Cercle Sportif Vésulien Haute-Saône (CSVHS-Handball), Handball Club Lure Villers (handball), Groupe Triathlon Vesoul Haute-Saône (GTVHS-triathlon), Club Haltérophile Luxovien (weightlifting), ASA Luronne (motorsport), Moto Club Haut-Saônois (MCHS-Moto)

Major competitions: Cyclosportive les 3 Ballons, Semaine nationale et européenne des Jeunes Cyclotouristes, Tour Alsace, Championnat de France de Cyclisme sur Route Avenir, Slow Up Vallée de l'Ognon

Culture: Rolling Saône Festival in Gray, Music and Memory Travelling Festival, Les Pluralies Festival in Luxeuil-les-Bains

Economy: A long-standing tradition of metalworking, with excellent expertise in the food, textile, wood, metalworking, luxury goods, equipment manufacturing and automotive industries

Websites and social networks:
www.haute-saone.fr
www.facebook.com/departementhautesaone
www.destination70.com

FAUCOGNEY-ET-LA-MER (POP: 470)

Besieged, taken, and pillaged by the French in 1674, the town was the last strategic site to fiercely resist Louis XIV's conquest of Franche-Comté. Rebuilt and then destroyed again by fire in 1745, Faucogney struggled to recover from its ordeal. However, the town expanded outside the old ramparts in the 18th century and has retained its appearance to this day. The bastion of the Sires of Faucogney has long remained a secret place and is now revealed through a beautiful historical tour.

Construction: 6th century

History and Characteristics: Faucogney-et-la-Mer has one of the oldest churches in Franche-Comté. Its foundations date back to before the 6th century. The chevet is Romanesque, the choir rebuilt in the 14th century, and the single nave in the 18th century. The interior of the chapel was renovated in 2003. Some treasures are hidden inside: a Gothic high altar in carved and painted stone dating from before the Counter-Reformation, an altarpiece of Christ and the Apostles, a 17th-century pulpit, etc. The church remained a parish church until 1712, despite its remote and isolated location. It was then replaced by Saint-Georges church (18th century), itself listed in 1979.

Listed as: Historical Monument in 1944

12,000 years ago, glaciers shaped a remarkable landscape, Plateau des Mille Étangs, 220 km² of poor land and marshland, stretching from Lure to Faucogney, via Melisey, Servance, Col des Croix, and Ballon de Servance. This fascinating region, the Upper Ognon Valley, invites you to discover moors, meadows, lush green forests, lakes, and rivers. A unique vision of a rich and magnificent nature, maintained by the hand of man... The villages of the Plateau des Mille Étangs are full of picturesque monuments, natural sites, museums, churches, listed altarpieces, mills, panoramic views, footpaths, stopover B&Bs, mountain bike trails, and cultural events. An exceptional rural and human heritage as you pass through its hamlets.

  SAINT-GERMAIN (POP: 1,350)

The municipality is best known for the Grande Pile peat bog, a reference point for the climatic history of Western Europe. A peat bog is a marsh made up of peat, i.e., a mass of decomposing plant matter. A particularly rich fauna and flora inhabit these marshes, which have a special climate, very cold in winter and very hot in summer. Saint-Germain is home to droseras, small carnivorous plants, and cranberries, shrubs usually found only in polar regions and which are survivors of the glaciers that occupied the region thousands of years ago. Predatory insects, birds, frogs, snakes, butterflies, and many others also live in the peat bogs of Haute-Saône.

The "Water and Stone" trail takes in the peat bogs of Saint-Germain. It is 12 kilometres long and also follows the Mille Etangs (Thousand Ponds) trail. Explanatory panels all along the route provide information on the specific features of the natural environments of the Vosges.

LE VAL-DE-GOUHENANS (POP: 70)

In the 19th century, the neighboring village of Gouhenans was a highly industrial village. A coal extraction plant was built there, before being replaced by a saltworks. The saltworks produced high-quality salt but was at the heart of an embezzlement scandal by high-ranking government officials. Victor Hugo denounced this malpractice, which eventually led to the downfall of Louis-Philippe.

A glassworks then set up in the town in the early 19th century.

L'ISLE-SUR-LE-DOUBS (POP: 2,800)

Monks from the nearby Lieu-Croissant abbey gave this island on the Doubs to Thiebaut de Neufchâtel in the 12th century.

The family, already powerful in the region, founded the town at the heart of the island, built a castle there, and dominated the lordship until the 16th century.

Tax concessions were granted to populate the new town. Then the border wars took their toll on the Neufchâtel family's power. During the French Revolution, the dismantled castle was replaced by forges producing screws and bolts, which boosted the prosperity of L'Isle-sur-le-Doubs (the last unit did not close until 2009).

L'Isle-sur-le-Doubs, which now has a population of around 3,000, has preserved its heritage and picturesque charm, with its quays and old houses, while the town hall is still symbolically located on the "founding" island.

SANCEY (POP: 1,350)

Sancey is famous as the birthplace of Saint Jeanne-Antide Thouret (1765-1826), founder of the Besançon Sisters of Charity and canonised in 1934. A basilica built in Sancey is dedicated to her. Her feast day is celebrated on 24 August.

CONSOLATION-MAISONNETTES (POP: 25)

Also known as Cirque de Consolation, the Val de Consolation, at the source of the Dessoubre and Lançot rivers, is home to a monastery built in 1670 by the widow of the Marquis of Varambon. The seminary's grounds have become a popular place for walks, with waterfalls, caves, and footpaths and bridleways. The Roche du Prêtre lookout overlooks the Dessoubre valley and canyon from a height of 350 m.

Built: 1670

History: An oratory was built in 1433 to honour Notre-Dame de Consolation, and hermits settled in the valley. In the 17th century, Ferdinand-François-Just de Rye, Marquis of Varambon, decided to found a convent of Minims. When he died in 1657, he entrusted the project to his wife, Marie-Henriette de Cusance, and wished to be buried in the chapel. The project was delayed by legal issues, but a church was built in 1665, where the marquis's remains were transferred. His mausoleum still exists in a neo-Romanesque chapel completed in 1682. Construction of the monastery was completed in 1673. Sold as national property during the Revolution, the convent was transformed into a minor seminary in 1833, and then trained missionaries until 1978. Since then, the Val de Consolation foundation has managed the site and organised religious meetings and cultural events. The chapel and the works of art it contains were listed as historic monuments in 1913.

Listed as: Historical Monument in 1913.

VILLERS-LE-LAC (Pop: 5,230)

Part of the Watchmaking Doubs Regional Nature Park, the town attracts many tourists thanks to the Saut du Doubs. Lake Chaillexon becomes Europe's largest natural ice rink when the weather gets really cold (down to -39°C). The town also has downhill ski runs at Le Chauffaud, as well as cross-country ski trails. The town's proximity to Switzerland makes it one of the richest in France in terms of average household income. The town is also home to an antique watch museum.

Before being a waterfall, Saut du Doubs was a natural reservoir known as the Basins of the Doubs. The river, set between mountains and cliffs, is 100 to 200 m wide and its water varies in depth from 30 to 40 m. The natural variation in its water level is a particular feature of the basins, studied by geologists at an international level. Between high and low water, the water level varies by almost 20 m. Saut du Doubs is the result of a landslide that blocked the passage of the water 14,000 years ago. This impetuous 27 m waterfall is the crowning glory of the river's journey. On the French-Swiss border, Saut du Doubs can be reached by boat, horse-drawn carriage or on foot, and attracts some 300,000 tourists every year.