Xonrupt in the past

On October 22nd 1919, legislation was past dividing Gerardmer in two and deciding the county towns would be Gérardmer and Xonrupt. Since then Xonrupt has been autonomous. At the time there were 809 inhabitants.

Xonrupt-Longemer population

Despite the tough war time which brought the number of inhabitants down to 465, 1557 people live in Xonrupt, today and it continues to grow at a gentle pace. This fortunate evolution is led with the constant concern to create a workable balance between developing industry, tourism and local crafts as well as preserving local customs,environment and private properties.

Even if urbanisation is growing fast, nature holds its own since woodland is still extending.Wood and textile industries have complemented an essentially agricultural activity since the end of the 19th century. Tourism started in between the two wars. Recently small engineering industries have developed.

Ethymology

Xonrupt

In local dialect a 'hhon' or a 'chon' is a board made from the outer part of a tree trunk and a 'ru' or 'rupt' is a brook. So Xonrupt woud mean 'the wooden board on the brook' reminding us of the wooden bridges which allowed people to cross over the Vologne river in the past.

Retournemer

Until the scenic 'route des crêtes' was open, Retournemer was for a long time a cul de sac which forced people to turn back.

Longemer

Longemer would mean 'the long sea'.

Ancestral family names

We can find in a parish book dating from 1935 the following names: Marchal, Bertrand, Guery, Bonne, Cuny, Parmentier, Leroy, Thomas, Aubert, Defranoux, Mathis, Peduzzi, Tisserant, Valentin, Michel, Didier, Martin, Lambert, Thimont, Viry, Morel, Lalevée, Pierrat...

Historical bits and pieces

  • In 3000B.C.: a hunter from the Neolithic period lost a polished stone axe on the Longemer lake side. It was found by Mr Pierre Michel in 1959 and it is kept in the school.
  • In the early 800s, Charlemagne travelled through the Lake Valley; that's why many cascades or stones are named after him. A legend was born which relates how, after fishing a pike,Charlemagne put it back in the water with a bell around its neck. If you listen carefully, you can still hear it, even now on beautiful summer nights.
  • On the left hand side of the lake of Longemer, a mound is named after Bilon, a hermit who got bored with the sumptuous life he lived at the court as an officer of Gérard d'Alsace. He retired there to repent, in the middle of the 11th century. His burial place was discovered in November 1961. His bones were found inside his coffin. He had a chain around his waist.
  • 1285: first act in which Xonrupt is mentioned.
  • In 1792, The lake of Longemer belonged to the abbesses of Remiremont.It was sold as part of the national estate. In 1845, it was privately owned again by a family in the Vosges who levied accessibility . It was finally bought by the town council and its mayor in 1956.
  • The Lake Valley is often referred to as the Pearl of the Vosges! Why? It is said that pearls, made by the mussels gathered in the river Vologne, were much sought-after by the ladies.Some were even used to make necklaces which were offered to Louis XV's daughters.
  • In 1858, Napoleon III, who had to go to La Schlucht, found that the access was difficult.Therefore, he decided to adjust RN 417 and bored the 'Devil's rock' tunnel. The work had to be suspended for two years because of the Italian campaign.
  • The train coming as far as Gérardmer, it gave Henry Gutton, an engineer, the idea to create a tramway to Xonrupt to develop tourism. Later it went farther up to La Schlucht which was then the German border.