Dompierre-aux-Bois () is a

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

in the

Meuse The Meuse ( , , , ; wa, Moûze ) or Maas ( , ; li, Maos or ) is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a t ...

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 It superseded three former administrat ...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 north-eastern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. Dompierre-aux-Bois belongs to the association of the villages called "Dompierre" in

(22 villages). The inhabitants meet every year during the month of July.

Characteristics

Name

The Latin origin of the name of Dompierre-aux-Bois is ''Domnus Petrus in Sylvis''.

Setting

The village is located in a

valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between Hill, hills or Mountain, mountains, which will typically contain a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers ...

, in a wooded area. The territory of the village is of 806 hectares. In the middle of the village, there is stream that was called "Ru du Moulin" in 1972. Now, it is simply called "Ruisseau de Dompierre". This stream's source is in the building where people would come in the past to wash their laundry. This building was initially built in 1821 and rebuilt in 1925. Since 1980, the spring is used to supply water to several neighbouring villages. As a result, the stream is now thinner, and during droughts, it's almost dry. File:DompierreAuxBoisGeneralView.jpg, General view of Dompierre-aux-bois in the winter

Population

In 1836, the population was 385 persons. In 1911, it was 198 persons. The population as of 2005 was 60 persons, of which 20 were under 20 years of age.

Resources

In the 19th century, Dompierre-aux-Bois was essentially living of wood production. It was called the

department's capital of the

clog Clogs are a type of footwear made in part or completely from wood. Used in many parts of the world, their forms can vary by culture, but often remained unchanged for centuries within a culture. Traditional clogs remain in use as protective f ...

, with a production of 45,000 units per year. There was also a sawmill and a papermill.

Embroidery Embroidery is the craft of decorating fabric or other materials using a needle to apply thread or yarn. Embroidery may also incorporate other materials such as pearls, beads, quills, and sequins. In modern days, embroidery is usually seen on c ...

was also an important activity with about 60 women working in this activity. Today, most residents of Dompierre live of

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

History

Dompierre-aux-Bois was badly hit during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. On 27 September 1914, 24 women, children and elderly who had stayed back in the church of the village were killed. The village was entirely destroyed during the war and its French population displaced as it was in a German controlled area.

References

Dompierreauxbois {{Meuse-geo-stub