With children? Just for pleasure? For a bit of education?
A day at the museum
“You have to cultivate culture”, so be sure to descend on the museums of the Vosges for a few hours or even a day to make sure you don’t return home empty handed (or should that be empty headed?). You’ll find the Vosges have more than one string to their bow.
Stroll round our museums
Famous and from the Vosges!
No, it isn’t an oxymoron! Some of the most famous people in history were born in the Vosges. People like Jules Ferry, the politician who introduced compulsory education. He was also the first person to use the expression “the blue line of the Vosges” in his will. Among the women, there’s Joan of Arc, who made such a mark on French history. She was born in Domrémy-la-Pucelle, where the house in which she was born is open to visitors.
Visit our historic sites and monumentsIn the Vosges you can hop between the Gallo-Roman era, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and modern times.
Back to the past
"In Grand, you’ll find one of the most remarkable sites from the Roman Empire: an amphitheatre built in the 1st century and a splendid 224 m² mosaic, transporting you back in time. Thanks to 3D technology, you can now visit the 15 kilometres of tunnels beneath the village. Breath-taking!
The Vosges also has religious buildings from across the centuries. In Domrémy-la-Pucelle, discover the sublime basilica of Bois Chenu, built in homage to Joan of Arc, within shouting distance of where she was born. The Rabodeau valley contains three abbeys in a distinctly natural setting: Senones, Etival-Clairfontaine and Moyenmoutier. These are just a taster of the many sites to visit in the Vosges: industry, Romanesque churches, military heritage and other monuments will take you on a journey through time."
The Cathedral of Saint-Dié-des-Vosges
This grand lady has a tendency to look down on her visitors, but she has certainly seen some things in her time... Dressed in fine pink Vosges sandstone, she is part of a set of buildings which includes the church of Notre-Dame of Galilee and the cloister.
Travel through historyNature is everywhere you look in the Vosges, in many different guises
A natural mosaic
Wild in places, well-tended in others, this is chiefly what makes the Vosges so beautiful. In Berchigranges, a wonderful English-inspired garden, sit and contemplate the scenery and discover some ancient and wild plants among the other greenery. Further east, in Raon-l’Etape, enjoy a strange encounter with “the pine that pees” at the La Criquette site. Like the mythical “Wee Boy of Brussels”, this pine tree produces water from its trunk. However, rest assured, it’s simply a spring which appears to come out of the ground near the tree. Strange, but amusing!
Revive in our natural sites and gardensTrees, trees and more trees
The virtuosi of the Vosges
"That is basically what you’ll find in the Vosges forest, also known as “Wood Valley”. Given that wood comes from trees, it’s hardly surprising that this particular material should occupy such a special place in Vosges craftsmanship and industry. Clogmakers, toymakers and sawmills throw open their doors to share their passion!
For a change of style, go to the Manufacture Royale in Bains-les-Bains, a former tinware factory which welcomes visitors to its huge estate comprising parks and gardens, alongside the château. You will be left in no doubt that natural and industrial sites are monuments in themselves in the Vosges!"