The air in Vosges, a department chock-full of forests, is reputed to be pure, fresh and bracing, so you can take lots of deep breaths.

Through hill and dale, in the heart of the mountains and the valleys, in the fields and in the gardens, on the hill-slopes and the footpaths, and along the rivers and streams, the landscapes roll on in blue and green and make you glad you got away from the city: with their sights and smells, whether you are on foot or on a bike, practising a sport or just relaxing…

"Take a break… Breathe deeply… Unwind!" : that’s what this protected green countryside, a specially welcoming place for people who have come to recharge their batteries, whispers in the ear of those who come here for their holidays. A little island of peace and quiet in the Ballons des Vosges Regional Nature Reserve

Water, the « mother » which feeds all this green countryside, is undoubtedly one of the Vosges greatest treasures. It is to be found everywhere: in nearly 4,000 kilometres of rivers and streams, in countless lakes, in the springs used for thermal spa treatments, in the mountain waterfalls, in the canal used for both pleasure boating and commercial barge transport…It was a basic ingredient in the industrialization of the department, and for centuries supplied the energy required by sawmills, mirror factories and textile factories.

Today, water is still an essential ingredient for the success of thermal spa resorts and the tourism industry in general, makes a number of leisure activities possible and still makes transport possible on the Canal des Vosges, between Charmes, Epinal and Fontenoy-le-Château.

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Flash about...
The Ballons des Vosges Regional Nature Reserve
It brings together 203 villages and towns inthe southern part of the Vosges Mountains and covers 3,000 km². Overlooked by a summit ridge which includes the well-known « ballons » whose highest point is at 1424 metres above sea level, the reserve features a surprising variety of environments and landscapes: high pastures, glacial cirques, peat bogs, lakes, etc…

For further information:
The Ballons des Vosges Regional Nature Reserve
Maison du Parc - 1, cour de l’Abbaye - F-68140 MUNSTER
Tel. +33 (0)3 89 77 90 20 – Fax +33 (0)3 89 77 90 30
E-mail: info@parc-ballons-vosges.fr
Internet: www.parc-ballons-vosges.fr
Information and reception: Tel. +33 (0)3 89 77 90 34
Two brochures are produced annually: « C’est l’été » (« It’s summer ») and « d’une saison à l’autre » (« From one season to another »), and the collection of mini-guides about the local heritage

The hydroelectric power saga Electricité de France took advantage of the building of the Vieux Pré dam to install a second hydroelectric power station in the mountain range. The structure fulfils two essential functions: to even out the flow rate in the Moselle, and bolster up the flow of the Meurthe. I comprises: - a dam nearly 70 metres high, 355 metres wide at the bottom and 330 metre long at the crest. - a main reservoir fed by the Vieux-Pré stream, called the Pierre-Percée Lake, containing 61 million m3 of water and having a surface area of 304 hectares (water-based leisure activities) - a secondary reservoir fed by the Rivière de la Plaine Lac de la Plaine 1,1 million m3 of water, 37 hectares surface area (swimming, pedal boats, water skiing) For information and visits, please phone +33 (0)3 29 41 70 22

From a drop of water to the magic of electricity
La Bresse is the only place in the Vosges whose electricity is not totally supplied by the EDF (national electricity authority). The RME (Régie municipale d’électricité - municipal electricity authority) set up in 1934, produces hydroelectric power.
Its current production resources, 5 hydroelectric power stations, enable it to provide 13% of the power requirements of its customers, the rest being bought from EDF. Given time, the authority would like to develop new production resources by building further power stations.
A path enabling people to see and understand how water power is harnessed used to produce electricity is open to the public.
For further information: +33 (0)3 29 25 40 21

Did you know?


People often think that the name « ballon » (a large ball in French) comes from the rounded shape of the Vosges summits; but in fact the name comes down from the Celts who worshipped the sun-god Bel on the mountain tops.
In the mini-guide « Autour du Ballon d’Alsace » (« Around the Ballon d’Alsace ») published by the Ballons des Vosges Regional Nature Reserve, it is said that, from the Ballon d’Alsace, the sunrise is aligned on the Belchen in the Black Forest at the equinoxes, and with the Petit Ballon and the Bölchenfluch, a Swiss Jura summit, on the winter and summer solstices.

That’s quite unique!
The rock field in Barbey-Seroux, an impressive heritage from the Ice Age!
The astonishing build-up, over several hundred metres, of enormous eroded and rounded blocks of granite makes for a very strange landscape.
According to the geologists, this impressive build-up of rocks is a morainic build-up from the end of the Ice Age.