Granite Menu Heritage and Tours Sceneries and Men History of Men Geology and Climate Landscapes Hautes-Vosges The “Plateau des Mille Etangs” Fougerolles and Val d’Ajol Valleys Ballons of Franche-Comté Vosgian Valleys Haut-Rhin Valleys Wine-growing Foothills Natural Heritage Orchards Forests High Stubble Lakes, Ponds, Peatlands Ravines, Cliffs and Scree Slopes Calcareous Grasslands Local Products and Craftsmanship The Park Certification Label The Wood Industry Meat Producers Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Mineral and Natural Spring Waters Fruit and Vegetables Products Fougerolles Orchards and Kirsch Fish Farming Vosgian Cattle Breed Cheeses Small Fruit, Aromatic and Medicinal Plants Alsatian Wine Smoked Meats and Andouilles Farmhouse-Inns Farm Shops Craftsmanship Textile Granite Lava Sandstone Wood industry Farm Markets Cultural Heritage Thermal Heritage Industrial Heritage Farms Country of Art and History Religious Heritage Intangible Cutural Heritage Heritage and Memory Castles Thematic Roads and Tracks Treetop Adventure Park Tourist Routes Barefoot Trails Environment Awareness Structures Parks and Botanical Gardens Museums and Heritage Sites Thermal Baths Venues for Shows, Exhibitions and Festivals At the Park Doors Colmar Remiremont Belfort Lure Mulhouse Luxeuil-les-Bains Saint-Dié-des-Vosges Nature activities Guided Walks and Discovery trails A Farm, A Hike Mountain Guides Pedestrian Hikes Club Vosgien / Club Alpin (Vosgian / Alpine Clubs) Reception Centres for Educational Stays Trail Mountain Biking and Cyclo-Tourism Equine Activities Climbing Skydiving Aeromodelism Fishing Water Sports Winter Activities Nature vacations Camping in Nature Panda Lodgings and Guesthouses Hôtels au Naturel (Hotels in Natural Settings) The Ballons des Vosges Park is dedicated to promoting short tours as well as local produce and craftsmanship. As early as the sixteenth century, Vosgian farmers carved the granite rocks they found in their fields to make rubble for their houses and to border their plot of land. In the nineteenth century, these farmers became farmers-cum-quarry-and-granite-workers. On the high Bressan Region, they bred a few cows, processed the milk into cheeses and worked the stones. Towards 1930, near the Col de Grosse Pierre, more than 50 quarries were thus exploited by a hundred men and in each workshop, 1 to 8 granite workers carved the gravestones. Today, despite imports, the usage of Vosgian granite develops and evolves: mortuary, sidewalk edges, cobblestones, architecture, street furniture, professional equipment, home furnishing, decoration, objects… a dozen craft businesses propose high-quality products. They are located on the southern Vosges Mountain side. Author advisa View all posts