La Forge
| La Forge | ||
|---|---|---|
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| region | Grand Est | |
| Department | Vosges | |
| Arrondissement | Saint-Dié-des-Vosges | |
| Canton | La Bresse | |
| Community association | Hautes Vosges | |
| Coordinates | 48 ° 4 ' N , 6 ° 43' E | |
| height | 469-813 m | |
| surface | 4.72 km 2 | |
| Residents | 529 (January 1, 2017) | |
| Population density | 112 inhabitants / km 2 | |
| Post Code | 88530 | |
| INSEE code | 88177 | |
 Location of the commune of La Forge in the Vosges department |
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La Forge is a French commune with 529 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017) in the Vosges department of the Grand Est region . It belongs to the arrondissement of Saint-Dié-des-Vosges and the Hautes Vosges community association .
geography
The municipality of La Forge is located in the Vosges , about halfway between the towns of Remiremont and Gérardmer .
The 4.72 km² municipal area of La Forge is bordered to the south and east by the River Cleurie . The approximately 200 meter wide valley is at 500 meters above sea level. The terrain rises to the northwest to 750 to 780 meters, in the northwest corner of the municipality the highest point is reached at 813 meters.
The higher areas in the municipality are wooded and belong to the Forêt Domaniale de Fossard . The development in the community is very loose, so it is called a typical scattered settlement . It consists of several rows of private homes, which are serpentines up the slopes to 650 meters above sea level, as well as mountain farms and many holiday homes. The density of settlements is somewhat higher on the banks of the Cleurie. In the northeast, a residential estate is directly connected to the neighboring municipality of Le Tholy . Due to the altitude, arable farming takes place only to a modest extent, pastureland, on the other hand, can be found up to the higher slopes.
Neighboring communities of La Forge are Le Tholy in the north and east, Le Syndicat in the south and Cleurie in the west.
history
The name "La Forge" can be translated as Die Schmiede . The existence of a mill with an attached forge on the Cleurie is documented for 1770. A sawmill is located on the site of the old forge.
The area of today's municipality of La Forge was in Ban Moulin , which was dependent on the provost in Arches . After the construction of the church in nearby Le Tholy in 1663, which went back to the work of Pierre Fourier , who was later canonized , the residents were parished there. The community name was originally Les Arrentés du Ban de Saint-Joseph ( The tenants of the St. Joseph ban ). During the French Revolution this name was deleted and the community was initially called Libre Forge . The place name developed via Laforge to today's La Forge .
Agriculture was still the most important branch of the population until well into the 20th century. Here it was especially the production of cheese. Rye, buckwheat and millet were grown for dairy cattle. The cheese was sold in regional markets and bread grains and utensils were procured for its value.
On July 25, 1770, a devastating flood occurred in the Cleurietal, which almost completely destroyed the village at that time.
In 1881 the Mairie-école - the school and mayor's building - was built. In 1962, a new school replaced the old building, which was used again from 1973 due to the increasing number of students. Finally, a new school was built in 2001, which today teaches around 60 lower-grade students.
Population development
| year | 1962 | 1968 | 1975 | 1982 | 1990 | 1999 | 2006 | 2017 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 386 | 389 | 397 | 481 | 514 | 545 | 557 | 529 | |
| Sources: Cassini and INSEE | |||||||||
The population of the municipality of La Forge has risen continuously since the 1960s, which is mainly due to the influx from surrounding municipalities. The decisive factors for the choice of many new homeowners in the community were and are the location on a slope opening to the south and moderate land prices.
Economy and Infrastructure
Today La Forge is a tourist town with numerous guest houses and holiday homes. The municipality owes this development to its location near the waterfalls of Tendon and the Lac de Gérardmer as well as its convenient transport links. Today there is only one farmer working in the community as his main occupation. Furthermore, there are smaller craft businesses in the village (carpentry, window and door construction, plumbing). The FLEUROT company manufactures grinding wheels. Some residents commute to surrounding communities.
There is no church in La Forge. The nearby churches in Le Tholy and in the Julienrupt district of the Le Syndicat community are responsible for pastoral care.
In the Cleurietal, the departmental road 417 runs from Remiremont via Gérardmer to Colmar . There is also a road connection to the neighboring municipality of Cleurie .
