Ramonchamp

Ramonchamp (French pronunciation: [ʁamɔ̃ʃɑ̃] ) is a large commune in the Vosges department in Grand Est in northeastern France.

Geography

Downstream of Le Thillot and upstream of Ferdrupt, Ramonchamp is positioned in a narrow section of the upper Moselle valley. The only main road is the National road RN66 which connects with Remiremont some 25 kilometres (16 mi) to the south west and the Bussang Pass into Alsace en route for Mulhouse to the east-southeast.

In other directions, the mountain slopes are too steep to afford easy access to Saulxures-sur-Moselotte, positioned in an adjacent valley to the north, though for the intrepid a relatively direct route exists courtesy of the 791-meter-high Morbieux Pass (Col de Morbieux).

Ramonchamp traditionally featured mountain style agriculture, but in recent decades many of the little family farms have been purchased by outsiders and transformed into second homes.

Population

Inhabitants are called Ramoncenais in French.

History

First recorded under the Latin name 'Romanici Campus', Ramoncamp was at one stage the administrative centre of a "ban" (medieval territory) and then of a canton, but that was before the commune of Le Thillot had come into being.

The territory of Ramonchamp (Le ban de Ramonchamp) originally covered the entire upper valley of the Moselle, upstream of Ferdrupt. It fell under the bailiwick of Remiremont while the church, dedicated to Saints Rémi and Blaise, was within the Diocese of Saint-Dié in the deanery of Remiremont.

Around 1730 the parish was divided up into the parishes of Le Ménil and Fresse-sur-Moselle.