Forbach (/fɔːrˈbɑːk/ for-BAHK, French: [fɔʁbak], German: [ˈfɔʁbax]; Alemannic German: Fuerboch) is a commune in the French department of Moselle, northeastern French region of Grand Est.

Forbach
Town centre
Town centre
Coat of arms of Forbach
Location of Forbach
Map
Forbach is located in France
Forbach
Forbach
Forbach is located in Grand Est
Forbach
Forbach
Coordinates: 49°11′N 6°54′E / 49.19°N 6.90°E / 49.19; 6.90
CountryFrance
RegionGrand Est
DepartmentMoselle
ArrondissementForbach-Boulay-Moselle
CantonForbach
IntercommunalityCA Forbach Porte de France
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) Alexander Cassaro[1]
Area
1
16.32 km2 (6.30 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)[2]
21,130
 • Density1,300/km2 (3,400/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
57227 /57600
Elevation192–388 m (630–1,273 ft)
(avg. 222 m or 728 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

It is located on the German border approximately 15 minutes from the center of Saarbrücken, Germany, with which it constitutes a cross-border conurbation, and is part of the Saar-Moselle Eurodistrict. In 2017, Forbach had a population of 21,552 inhabitants,[3] which, including its greater urban area, makes it the largest town in the eastern Moselle area.

History

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Forbach is located in an area inhabited for a long time. Remains of the Celtic and especially Roman eras have been found in Forbach.

Medieval era

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A castle was built on the Schlossberg hill at the end of the 12th century. It was gradually enlarged and, around 1550, connected to the city by an enclosure wall. Between the 10th century and 1793, many seigneurs owned the seigneury of Forbach. Johann Fischart, a prolific satirical writer, worked as a bailiff at Forbach Castle where he stayed from 1583 to 1590.

The chapel of the Holy Cross of Forbach was mentioned in a letter from 1338 by the Bishop of Metz, Adhémar of Monteil, under the name of capella sancta crucis juxta Forbachum. It was probably built in the 13th century. It was extensively renovated in the 14th and 15th centuries. It was probably the property of the Hombourg-Haut congregations since 1257. It was badly damaged during the Thirty Years' War.

War of 1870, German annexation and WW1

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Until the Franco-Prussian War, Forbach was in the French orbit. However, after the nearby Battle of Spicheren in August 1870, the town was occupied by German troops, and at the conclusion of the war annexed to Germany, forming part of the imperial province of Alsace–Lorraine.[4] The region was returned to France in 1918.

Post-WW2 period

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Before the Schengen Treaty, Forbach was a major border crossing at which customs procedures were carried out, both for road and for rail transport and travel.[5] Since 2007, the TGV and ICE high speed trains connecting Paris and Frankfurt have stopped at the station in Forbach, and passengers can now travel to Paris Gare de l'Est in 1 hour and 45 minutes and to the German financial center and airport in the Frankfurt and Rhine-Main metropolis in 2 hours.

Its location in the Saar-Warndt coal mining basin,[6] which extends into eastern Moselle, made Forbach an important mining town, with offices of the Houillères du Bassin de Lorraine (Lorraine coal mining board), a section of the French Coal Board. When the mining operations were permanently shut down in 2004,[7] Forbach turned to activities in the tourism, service, energy and other industries to rebuild the local economy.[8] The "Musée des Mineurs - Wendel" in the neighboring village of Petite-Rosselle is a coal mining museum which preserves the industrial and cultural heritage from the coal mining era in the Forbach region. It was awarded the "Musées de France" quality label in 2002.[9]

Population

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Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1793 1,539—    
1800 1,769+2.01%
1806 1,881+1.03%
1821 3,110+3.41%
1836 4,428+2.38%
1841 4,288−0.64%
1861 4,860+0.63%
1866 5,691+3.21%
1871 5,411−1.00%
1875 6,173+3.35%
1880 7,114+2.88%
1885 7,839+1.96%
1890 9,575+4.08%
1895 7,867−3.85%
1900 8,208+0.85%
1905 8,628+1.00%
YearPop.±% p.a.
1910 9,704+2.38%
1921 10,514+0.73%
1926 11,569+1.93%
1931 11,491−0.14%
1936 12,167+1.15%
1946 9,599−2.34%
1954 21,591+10.66%
1962 21,704+0.07%
1968 23,120+1.06%
1975 25,244+1.26%
1982 27,187+1.06%
1990 27,076−0.05%
1999 22,807−1.89%
2007 21,801−0.56%
2012 21,475−0.30%
2017 21,552+0.07%
Source: EHESS[10] and INSEE (1968–2017)[11]

Notable people from Forbach

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See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 2 December 2020.
  2. ^ "Populations légales 2021" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
  3. ^ Téléchargement du fichier d'ensemble des populations légales en 2017, INSEE
  4. ^   One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domainChisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Forbach". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 10 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 636.
  5. ^ Assemblée Nationale de France, Compte-rendu des séances de l'Assemblée nationale législative. Tome Dix-Septième, du 4 novembre au 1 décembre 1851. Addition à la séance du jeudi 6 novembre 1851, p 23.
  6. ^ This basin lies 44 km east of Longeville-les-Metz, under the Franco-German border extending into the Warndt region of Saarland in Germany.See map
  7. ^ "France ends coal mining with tears but not a single protest". The Independent, April 24, 2004.
  8. ^ Lorraine Regional Council: Territoires 2020: Moselle-Est. Synthèse des propositions issues du travail d'expérimentation, pp 17-25.
  9. ^ List of French museums awarded the label of "Musées de France" Archived 2014-07-23 at the Wayback Machine
  10. ^ Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Forbach, EHESS (in French).
  11. ^ Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
  12. ^ "FORBACH". Festival de Cannes. 28 May 2023.
  13. ^ "UN CERTAIN REGARD 2014 AWARDS". Festival de Cannes. Archived from the original on 24 May 2014.
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