La Broque

History

The origins of La Broque (Vipucelle) lie in a priory founded in the 9th century as a dependency of the Benedictine abbey of Senones. After 1205, Count Henri III of Salm built a castle on the abbey's land in the mountains. The members of this lineage became sole masters of the territory in 1571, but as the estate was undivided, sovereignty was shared between the two branches of the family. La Broque thus became a half-ruled town, half of which belonged to the Dukes of Lorraine, who held it until 1751, when the Prince of Salm-Salm, already lord of the other half, obtained full rights. When the Principality of Salm was reunited with France in 1793, the commune was incorporated into the Vosges department, before being detached by the Treaty of Frankfurt in 1871. During the Second World War, the reformatory camp known as "Camp de Schirmeck" was located on its territory.

Today

Intermarché, various companies

Not to be missed

Schirmeck camp barrack

The Château des Comtes de Salm, the listed Mennonite cemetery, the Kupferschmidt farm in Salm?

The former La Claquette ribbon factory: this ribbon factory was founded by the Spach family, a veritable dynasty of industrialists. Today, the site houses a hotel.

DATAtourisme France