Basse-sur-le-Rupt () is a commune in the

Vosges The Vosges ( , ; german: Vogesen ; Franconian and gsw, Vogese) are a range of low mountains in Eastern France, near its border with Germany. Together with the Palatine Forest to the north on the German side of the border, they form a single ...

department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

Grand Est Grand Est (; gsw-FR, Grossa Oschta; Moselle Franconian/ lb, Grouss Osten; Rhine Franconian: ''Groß Oschte''; german: Großer Osten ; en, "Great East") is an administrative region in Northeastern France. It superseded three former administrat ...

in northeastern France. Its inhabitants are called Bassurois. It is a mountainous commune of seven hamlets, crossed by the river Rupt. Its landmarks include Le Haut du Roc, Le Pierre des Communes, Le Piquante Pierre and the memorial of Le Croix des Moinats. Its historical industries were textiles, sawmills and granite.

Geography

Situated in fairly mountainous country, the Basse-sur-le-Rupt is laid out over approximately 10 kilometres along the ''départementale 34'' which links Vagney with

La Bresse La Bresse () is a commune in the Vosges department in Grand Est in northeastern France. The area is known for its ski resorts and outdoor activities. La Bresse is located about 45 km west of Colmar and 55 km north west of Mulhouse in ...

, rising from 409 to 1060m in altitude. The commune's seven hamlets are: * La Burotte * Contrexard * Planois * Presles * Pubas * Trougemont * L'Echté

History

Basse-sur-le-Rupt was notable during the Second World War. Piquante Pierre, one of the highest summits in the commune, through its height and its surrounding forests provided shelter to a

Maquis Maquis may refer to: Resistance groups * Maquis (World War II), predominantly rural guerrilla bands of the French Resistance * Spanish Maquis, guerrillas who fought against Francoist Spain in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War * The network ...

. This unit was destroyed on 21 September 1944 by the

German army The German Army (, "army") is the land component of the armed forces of Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German ''Bundeswehr'' together with the ''Marine'' (German Navy) and the ''Luftwaf ...

. Piquante PierreLe maquis de la piquante pierre, secteurs de la Moselotte et de la Vologne
/ref> became thereafter a memorial to the dead, commemorating the 83 maquisards who were lost.

Demography

Administration

The mayor is Nadine Perrin, re-elected in 2020.

Monuments and notable landmarks

Le Haut du Roc is a high point shared with the commune of Saulxures-sur-Moselotte. It is located at 1014 metres altitude, on ''poudingues'' ("puddings", mixtures of

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...

and pebbles). On a platform which offers a wide panorama of the commune, a cross was set up in 1933. La Pierre des Quatre Communes is a boundary stone originally found by a trail walker in the forest. It marks the communes' border with three of its neighbours,

, Cornimont and Rochesson. It is also the highest point in the commune at 1060 metres. La Piquante Pierre is a monolith situated at 1008 metres altitude of unknown origin. It is remarkable because if one looks closely at it, it is notable that it has four faces (like the statues on

Easter Island Easter Island ( rap, Rapa Nui; es, Isla de Pascua) is an island and special territory of Chile in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, at the southeasternmost point of the Polynesian Triangle in Oceania. The island is most famous for its nearl ...

. Each face points in a

cardinal direction The four cardinal directions, or cardinal points, are the four main compass directions: north, east, south, and west, commonly denoted by their initials N, E, S, and W respectively. Relative to north, the directions east, south, and west are at ...

. During the Second World War it was home to a maquis group of resistance fighters. La Croix des Moinats is a monument to commemorate the Moroccan Goumiers who fought in the region during the Second World War. Their battalions, known as tabors, comprised 12000 soldiers, paid a heavy price of 9000 killed or wounded. Image:Basse-sur-le-Rupt, Eglise Saint-Nicolas 1.jpg Image:Basse-sur-le-Rupt, Eglise Saint-Nicolas 2.jpg

Personalities

* Isidore Étienne, 4 February 1872 - 2 January 1960, a local businessman, was president of the union of French granite-workers.