Gérardmer

Gérardmer (to pronounce gérarmé ) is a city of the North-East of the France, in area Lorraine, chief town of canton of the department of the the Vosges in the Arrondissement of the Saint-Dié-of-Vosges. Its population of 8.845 inhabitants, 9.573 with the double accounts, makes the third city of the department of it.

Its inhabitants is called Géromois.

Situation

Gérardmer is located at the edge of the homonymous lake, at an average altitude of 670 Mr.

Resulting from the Glaciation of Würm (80 000 to 10.000 years before J. - C. approximately), the Lac of Gérardmer is retained by a final moraine definitively blocking the valley towards the downstream. It flows in the Vologne by Jamagne. The lowest altitude of the commune, 584 m, sees the Vologne running out in direction of Granges. Its highest point is the Tête of Grouvelin which culminates to 1.137 m and overhangs the Lac of Lispach of the Bresse.

The commune includes/understands timbered big spaces, on the whole 3.721 ha of forests of coniferous tree (more than five million Sapin S and thorn-bush).

The situation of Gérardmer supported very early the practice of the Ski. Today, Mauselaine is the principal station.

History

; Creation of the commune: The old story of Gérardmer is related to the Duché of Lorraine which controlled the places a long time. Gérardmer remained a long time a variation of the parish of Corcieux before acquiring its autonomy. One new era coincided with the arrival of the railroad, tourism opening then in particular with the Parisian ones. The annexation of the Alsace-Lorraine by the Germany saw also the arrival of Alsatian industrialists who took part in the rise of the Textile industry. The Second world war had more negative consequences with its batch of destruction.

It is in Gérardmer that the first Tourist bureau of France was created, in 1875. The nickname of “Pearl of the Vosges” helped to make popular the station, that the Parisian ones in particular gained by the train.

; The name in time: ; Etymology and pronunciation:

Does one say Gérardmer or Gérardmé ? It is by leaning side of the etymology that one finds the true pronunciation. Indeed, in patois, Mo means “sea”, and pout means “house with cultivated field” ( mansus in late Latin, farmhouse in language of oc, meix in language of oil, and pout in patois of the Vosgean country). However the inhabitants of the valley, when they indicate the lakes, pronounce Longemô for Longemer, because it is a lake all in length, R' your Mo for Retournemer because this lake is located in a cul-de-sac, to return in the valley, it is necessary to make half-turn, from where “turns over” and Girômoué for Gérardmer. This difference in pronunciation thus makes it possible to think that it is well “sea” in the direction of “lake” that it acts when one speaks about Longemer and Retournemer, but especially that it is the house which “Gérardmer evokes”. Thus, the Lake Gérardmer says “the Mo of Girômoué” and not “Girômô”.

It is advisable thus to say Gérardmé , and even Géromé or Giromé if one wants to be completely logical. Indeed, the first element of the name is not the first name Gerard, as lets it suppose the current C-W communication, but well Géraud (or Giraud), form resulting from Germanic the Gerwald , whereas Gerard comes from Gerhard .

Culture, soil and inheritance

Gérardmer is the cultural heart of the High Vosges. The city knew to benefit from its atypical framework, but is also animated of an associative and tourist spirit enabling him to organize many events.

; Monuments:

the church St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre

; Local products:

Cheese: the géromé farm manufacture (related with the munster)
Trout of pisciculture
Bread of Anise
Honey of Vosgean fir tree
Smoked (Bacon and meat)
Tart with brimbelles the (bilberries)
Jonquils

; Theater: With four theatrical companies for 9000 inhabitants, Gérardmer is a city which likes the theater. A professional troop indeed is counted:

" The Company d'Urgence"

Three troops amateures:

" The Company Jean Gillet"
" The troop Pascal Simon"
" Friends of Scène" (troop xonrupéenne, but playing Gérardmer).

; Cinema:

Fantastic' Arts, Festival of science fiction film: since 1993, Gérardmer is the host of the international festival of the science fiction film (ex-festival of Avoriaz). The organization on the spot is ensured by nearly 600 voluntary, in partnership with the Parisian company of event-driven Public System Cinema. With nearly 30.000 spectators film enthusiasts each year, Fantastic' arts is one of the most popular cinema festivals of France. The official site.
meetings of the cinema

; Events:

traditional the Festival of the Jonquils
Pyrosymphonies of the lake: July 14th and August 14th
Ironman: International triathlon of the valley of the lakes (finished event)
In 2005, Gérardmer is for the first time a stage city of the Tour de France cyclist: it is the arrival of the 8 {{E}} stage and the departure of the 9 {{E}} stage.
Crossed Lake Gérardmer to the stroke, the first or second week end of August: Since 2007, stage of the Coupe de France of swimming out of interstitial water.

; Folk groups:

Kehot' ribotte it official site
Ménestrels
Celtic Band

Education

Paper CFA

Paper CFA of Gérardmer is a Professional training center apprentices paper S located at Gérardmer (the Vosges) in the middle of the first paper area of France (about thirty industrial sites in the large one Is France).

The formations suggested are of level IV (level professional baccalaureat: Paper BacPro) and of level III (BTS of paper industries and a CQP of maintenance in paper mill).

Official site

Economy

; Industry:

Wood: sawmills, frame, joinery, construction of country cottages (Cuny, Gico, Houot)
Metal sections
Tourism (winter sport, hiring of Pedal boat S, casino)
Textile: the textile factories (fabric, Jacquard weaving, clothes industry, Garnier Thiébaut, establishment François Hans, household linen, Linvoges), are re-elected for the quality of their manufacture and particularly of their bleaching.

; Tourism and Leisures:

Ski station alpine Mauselaine : With 40 km of ski slopes alpine (20 tracks) and 20 ski lifts (including 2 chair-lifts), the skiable field of Gérardmer is the second skiable field solid mass of the Vosges. One can practice the night ski there and its equipment out of snow-blowers makes it possible to ensure the practice of the ski in the event of delicate season. Since 2006, the station is managed by the company Gérardmer Ski Development, subsidiary of the group Maulin Montagne Participation.

Scandinavian Ski station Low Rupts : Gérardmer has a very beautiful field of cross-country skiing. Inter-connected with the fields of Xonrupt-Longemer and the Bresse, it proposes more than 100 km of tracks (alternate and skating). The Scandinavian field is managed by a municipal control.

Sports association of Gérardmer : This association gathers several sports such as the canoe, the kayak, the oar, the diving, swimming, the sail, etc It organizes animations on the lake, for example the championship of the world of canoe in May 2007, the diving under-ice in winter or of the competitions of sailing ships.

; Twinnings: Gérardmer is twinned with

Civil data

Administration

The canton of Gérardmer counts three communes: Gérardmer , Liézey, and Xonrupt-Longemer.

Created on January 1st 2004, a Communauté of communes ( of the Lakes and Tops Rupts ) associates the three of the canton to the common neighbors of Rehaupal and of the Tholy for a total of 12 398 inhabitants.

Demography

Characters

Gilberte Cournand, born Scarset, journalist, criticizes of dance, galerist, bookseller and patron, born on September 25th, 1913 in Gérardmer and deceased on July 30th, 2005 with Louveciennes.
Claude Vanony, humorist and storyteller.
Julien Bontemps, world champion of board with veil Mistral in 2004 and 2005, and selected Olympic.

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