Fouday

Coat of arms

Fouday

Location within Grand Est region

Fouday

Coordinates: 48°25′18″N 7°11′12″E / 48.4217°N 7.1867°ECoordinates: 48°25′18″N 7°11′12″E / 48.4217°N 7.1867°E

Country

Government

• Mayor (2014–2020)

Maurice Guidat

Area¹

2.05 km² (0.79 sq mi)

Population (2006)²

343

• Density

170/km² (430/sq mi)

Time zone

CET (UTC+1)

• Summer (DST)

CEST (UTC+2)

INSEE/Postal code

67144 /67130

Elevation

380–680 m (1,250–2,230 ft)

¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

²Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Fouday (German: Urbach) is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Grand Est in north-eastern France.

At the start of 1975 Fouday was merged with the neighboring settlements of Waldersbach, Belmont and Bellefosse: the resulting aggregation was called , recalling a historical name for the territory. The Vosgean mountain village recovered its independence at the start of 1992: it has been incorporated into various administrative structures in recent decades and is currently one of 25 small settlements included in the .

Fouday lies in the valley, on the right bank, at the river's confluence with the little River Chirgoutte (or Schirgoutte) surrounded by pastures and forests, and dominated by Mont Saint-Jean.

The village is served by the which connects Strasbourg with Saint-Dié. The town is also traversed by the - here just a single track - that connects these two urban centres. The mountain topography of the region keeps the road and railway running in close parallel along the Bruche Valley.

Fouday was part of the ancient lordship of Ban de la Roche along with the surrounding settlements of Waldersbach, Solbach, Belmont and Bellefosse.

The first surviving written record of the village dates from the fourteenth century, when it appeared in the records as Urbach. However, the village clearly existed by the end of the twelfth century, since the church building dates from that time.

During the late medieval period, the village church was a stage along the pilgrim route to Mont Sainte-Odile in Lorraine across the Vosges Mountains to the west. Evidence for this comes from the fifteenth century depiction of St. James in the old choir of the church. The church also contains a carved head of John the Baptist recalling the Baptist's demise: the carved head is the subject of a local pilgrimage tradition which still survives.

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Wikipedia