Forbach

For other uses, see Forbach (disambiguation).

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
Subprefecture and commune
Town centre
Coat of arms
Location of Forbach
Forbach Show map of France Forbach Show map of Grand Est
Coordinates: 49°11′N 6°54′E
Country	France
Region	Grand Est
Department	Moselle
Arrondissement	Forbach-Boulay-Moselle
Canton	Forbach
Intercommunality	CA Forbach Porte de France
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Alexander Cassaro[1]
Area 1	16.32 km2 (6.30 sq mi)
Population  (2022)[2]	21,111
• Density	1,300/km2 (3,400/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	57227 /57600
Elevation	192–388 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

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

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

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

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

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% 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%	Year Pop. ±% 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

• Nicolas Appert (1749–1841), inventor, notably of the canning technique
• Claire Burger (born 1978), journalist, screenwriter and film director. Her 2008 short film, Forbach, was awarded by the Cinéfoundation in 2008^[12] and she received the "Ensemble Prize" along with Marie Amachoukeli and Samuel Theis in the category "A Certain Regard" (Un Certain Regard) for their first feature film, Party Girl, at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival.^[13]
• Jean-Luc Cairon (born 1962), gymnast and coach
• Helmut Fritz (born 1975), singer
• Jean-Nicolas Houchard (1740–1793), French General, whose name appears on the Arc de Triomphe in Paris
• Sophie Huber (born 1985), freestyle swimmer
• Eugene Jolas (1894–1952), journalist, poet and translator, best known for founding the modernist Parisian journal transition (which published, notably, James Joyce's Finnegans Wake).
• Patricia Kaas (born 1966), singer from Stiring-Wendel (near Forbach)
• Christian von Zweibrücken (1782–1859), Bavarian general
• Sam Hocevar (born 1978), Debian project leader from 17 April 2007 to 16 April 2008
• Loris Frasca Olympic Gymnast

Climate

Climate data for Forbach (Seingbouse) (2003–2020 normals, extremes 2003–present)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	13.9 (57.0)	21.4 (70.5)	23.9 (75.0)	26.8 (80.2)	30.7 (87.3)	35.2 (95.4)	37.9 (100.2)	37.8 (100.0)	32.6 (90.7)	27.0 (80.6)	21.0 (69.8)	14.9 (58.8)	37.9 (100.2)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	4.0 (39.2)	5.4 (41.7)	10.0 (50.0)	15.5 (59.9)	18.6 (65.5)	22.5 (72.5)	24.7 (76.5)	24.0 (75.2)	20.0 (68.0)	14.4 (57.9)	8.5 (47.3)	4.8 (40.6)	14.4 (57.9)
Daily mean °C (°F)	1.8 (35.2)	2.6 (36.7)	6.1 (43.0)	10.7 (51.3)	13.8 (56.8)	17.6 (63.7)	19.7 (67.5)	19.1 (66.4)	15.4 (59.7)	10.9 (51.6)	6.0 (42.8)	2.7 (36.9)	10.5 (50.9)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	−0.4 (31.3)	−0.2 (31.6)	2.2 (36.0)	5.9 (42.6)	9.1 (48.4)	12.6 (54.7)	14.6 (58.3)	14.2 (57.6)	10.8 (51.4)	7.4 (45.3)	3.6 (38.5)	0.5 (32.9)	6.7 (44.1)
Record low °C (°F)	−12.3 (9.9)	−15.3 (4.5)	−12.4 (9.7)	−3.4 (25.9)	−0.3 (31.5)	3.9 (39.0)	7.4 (45.3)	5.8 (42.4)	3.1 (37.6)	−5.2 (22.6)	−5.8 (21.6)	−17.0 (1.4)	−17.0 (1.4)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	63.0 (2.48)	57.7 (2.27)	55.3 (2.18)	39.8 (1.57)	68.9 (2.71)	60.3 (2.37)	54.7 (2.15)	68.4 (2.69)	54.8 (2.16)	61.4 (2.42)	66.0 (2.60)	81.1 (3.19)	731.4 (28.80)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm)	12.4	9.5	9.7	7.5	10.0	9.1	8.6	9.9	7.3	9.7	10.6	12.7	116.9
Source: Meteociel[14]

See also

• France portal

• Communes of the Moselle department

Gallery

• 
  Town centre
• 
  Catholic Church
• 
  Train station