Vosges
The Vosges ( , ; ; Franconian and ) is a range of medium mountains in Eastern France, near its border with Germany. Together with the Palatine Forest to the north on the German side of the border, they form a single geomorphological unit and ...
Grand Est
Grand Est (; ) is an Regions of France, administrative region in northeastern France. It superseded three former administrative regions, Alsace, Champagne-Ardenne and Lorraine, on 1 January 2016 under the provisional name of Alsace-Champagne-A ...
in northeastern
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
Saint-Dié-des-Vosges
Saint-Dié-des-Vosges (; , before 1999: ''Saint-Dié'') is a Communes of France, commune in the Vosges department, Grand Est, northeastern France.
It is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture of the department.
Geography
Saint-Dié is locat ...
() to the west and
Colmar
Colmar (; ; or ) is a city and commune in the Haut-Rhin department and Alsace region of north-eastern France. The third-largest commune in Alsace (after Strasbourg and Mulhouse), it is the seat of the prefecture of the Haut-Rhin department ...
() in neighbouring
Alsace
Alsace (, ; ) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in the Grand Est administrative region of northeastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine, next to Germany and Switzerland. In January 2021, it had a population of 1,9 ...
to the east. The river Meurthe rises in the nearby commune of Le Valtin and crosses Plainfaing from the south, and is joined by the stream from the Chaume valley. A designated natural reserve of half a square kilometre is shared between Valtin and Plainfaing, and includes the peaks of the Tanet and the Gazon du Faing.
Demographic evolution
Economy
Plainfaing is the headquarters of the Confiserie des Hautes-Vosges, an artisanal company taken over by the Claudepierre family in 1986 and specializing in the production of nearly 35 types of candies made from natural flavors or
essential oil
An essential oil is a concentrated hydrophobic liquid containing volatile (easily evaporated at normal temperatures) chemical compounds from plants. Essential oils are also known as volatile oils, ethereal oils, aetheroleum, or simply as the ...
s. The company produces an average of 250 tons of candy per year. Guided tours of the workshops are offered to visitors. The confectionery welcomed nearly 180,000 visitors in 2010.