Travel Guide Giromagny

Former fiefdom of Rosemont county located in the north of the department on the first Vosges foothills. The city was linked to France by the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648, twenty years before Franche-Comté. It is the metal that makes Giromagny's fortune. At the end of the Middle Ages, the city was the most flourishing in today's territory. In the hills surrounding the Savoury Valley, in the heart of a land rich in silver, lead and iron, Giromagny concentrates the prosperity of the Auxelles, Lepuix-Gy, La Madeleine and Rougemont mines. However, in the 16th century, extraction became more complicated, the veins were deep. The new machines, which are essential, require a significant financial investment. However, the industrialisation process was short, following power struggles. After the attachment to France, work resumed. But the golden age of the Giromagny mines is over. Mining ceased at the end of the 18th century. A few attempts will seek, without success, to revive the production and exploitation of copper and silver. The textile industry took over from the steel industry, which gradually disappeared during the 20th century. In addition to the pink sandstone fort, a fine example of 19th century military architecture, the church, town hall, Louis XV fountain and Mazarin house (seigneurial house dating from 1517) are also beautiful buildings that deserve a look. The Mazarin house will take the name of the famous cardinal, after Louis XIV and then Louis XV entrusted it with the administration of the Giromagny mines in 1648. The Museum of Mining and Mining Techniques traces the history of this exploitation from the 15th to the 19th century.