LA ROCHE MORAND

View of the Mérelle heights and the Beillard below. It was named after Jean-Baptiste Morand, born in Gérardmer on February 8, 1813. He had an exceptional career in the French army. He started out as a soldier in the Belgian War of Independence, during which he took part in the capture of the citadel of Antwerp. He became a captain in 1841. Following the Crimean War, he was awarded the Légion d'Honneur in 1855. In 1870, the Franco-Prussian war broke out, and he came out of retirement to take charge of the Isère Mobile Guard Battalion. He was promoted to Officer of the Legion of Honor. He then retired to Gérardmer, where he helped found the Comité des Promenades in 1875. When he died in 1893, he was remembered for his tireless work in creating and marking trails. In his memory, the Comité des Promenades named this rock after him, and the town named an avenue around the lake after him.