Le Ménil

Le Ménil
270x250px
Le Ménil
Location within Lorraine region Le Ménil
Coordinates:
Country	France
Region	Alsace-Champagne-Ardenne-Lorraine
Department	Vosges
Arrondissement	Épinal
Canton	Le Thillot
Intercommunality	Association of the Mynes and southern Upper Vosges communes
Government
• Mayor (2005–2008–2014)	Jean-Claude Côme
Area1	20.38 km2 (7.87 sq mi)
Population (2006)2	1,221
• Density	60/km2 (160/sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code	88302 / 88160
Elevation	509–1,106 m (1,670–3,629 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. 2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Le Ménil is a commune in the Vosges department in Lorraine in northeastern France. It is sometimes called Le Ménil-Thillot to distinguish it from nearby Ménil-de-Senones.

Inhabitants are called Guédons.

Geography

The commune is positioned southeast of the département, some 6 kilometres (4 mi) to the west of the source of the Moselle at Bussang. The intervening presence of a 952 meter mountain peak means that for motorists the drive to Bussang covers approximately 15 kilometres (9 mi) however. Across the Ménil Pass to the northeast, and approached by smaller roads, is the less well known Moselotte River. The pass connects the seat of the canton, Le Thillot, with Cornimont and a number of smaller mountain villages.

The surrounding mountain summits offer superb views, and tourism has become a defining pillar of the local economy. Registered tourist accommodation exceeds 1,000 beds. The presence of a covered go-kart track in a village with a registered population of barely above 1,000 provides further evidence of the importance of tourism.

History

For a long time Le Ménil was a hamlet controlled by Ramonchamp, but it became a parish in its own right in 1735, and acquired the statute on a commune under the Revolution.

See also

• Communes of the Vosges department

References

• INSEE