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 It superseded three former administrative regions, Alsace, Champagne-Ardenne and Lorraine, on 1 January 2016 under the provisional name of Alsace-Champagne-A ...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 ...
Épinal
Épinal (; ; ) is a Communes of France, commune in northeastern France and the prefecture of the Vosges (department), Vosges Departments of France, department.
Geography
The commune has a land area of . It is situated on the river Moselle, so ...
.
The river flows from Haut Jacques and the forests to the south-east of the town; where it passes through Rambervillers it has been channeled, but the work was done without sufficient planning for the volume of water unleashed in stormy weather, which gives rise to flooding. Notably, during 2006 the town centre was under two meters of water after an outbreak of torrential rain.
History
Rambervillers was the creation in the ninth century of a man called Rambert, who was the Count of Mortagne, or the Abbot of
Senones
The Senones or Senonii (Gaulish: "the ancient ones") were an ancient Gallic tribe dwelling in the Seine basin, around present-day Sens, during the Iron Age and the Roman period.
Part of the Senones settled in the Italian peninsula, where the ...
: sources differ.
Through the later medieval period, Rambervillers belonged to the
Bishops of Metz
This is a list of bishops of the Roman Catholic diocese of Metz, which now lies in eastern France.
To 500
* Clement of Metz (c. 280–300)
* Celestius
* Felix I
* Patient
* Victor I 344–346
* Victor II
* Simeon
* Sambace
* Rufus of Metz
* Ade ...
. The care taken with its maintenance and fortification indicate that it was an important regional commercial centre. In the twelfth century the
Bishop of Metz
This is a list of bishops of the Roman Catholic diocese of Metz, which now lies in eastern France.
To 500
* Clement of Metz (c. 280–300)
* Celestius
* Felix I
* Patient
* Victor I 344–346
* Victor II
* Simeon
* Sambace
* Rufus of Metz
* Ad ...
, Étienne of Bar protected the town with wooden fortifications and ditches: in the thirteenth century another
Bishop of Metz
This is a list of bishops of the Roman Catholic diocese of Metz, which now lies in eastern France.
To 500
* Clement of Metz (c. 280–300)
* Celestius
* Felix I
* Patient
* Victor I 344–346
* Victor II
* Simeon
* Sambace
* Rufus of Metz
* Ad ...
, Jacques of Lorraine, replaced the stone fortifications with a stone wall backed up with 24 large towers.
Despite its fortifications, Rambervillers found itself torched by a
Huguenot
The Huguenots ( , ; ) are a Religious denomination, religious group of French people, French Protestants who held to the Reformed (Calvinist) tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, ...
army
An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...
acting on the orders of the Baron of Bollweiler, in the sixteenth century. Recovery seems to have been relatively rapid, however, since in 1581 the leading citizens resolved to construct the
Town Hall
In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...
.
In 1718 the town was integrated into the
Duchy of Lorraine
The Duchy of Lorraine was a principality of the Holy Roman Empire which existed from the 10th century until 1766 when it was annexed by the kingdom of France. It gave its name to the larger present-day region of Lorraine in northeastern France ...
, becoming formally part of
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 ...
on the death of the last Duke in 1766.
On 9 October 1870, manning the fortifications against the invading
Prussians
Prussia () was a German state that formed the German Empire in 1871.
Prussia or Prussian may also refer to:
*Prussia (region), a historical region on the south-eastern coast of the Baltic Sea that lent its name to the later German state
Count ...
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
Jean Joseph Vaudechamp
Jean Joseph Vaudechamp (1790–1866) was a French painter born in Rambervillers, Vosges. He was a pupil of Anne-Louis Girodet de Roussy-Trioson.
New Orleans
The market in Paris was competitive, so in the winter of 1831–32, he went to try hi ...