Rochefourchat

Rochefourchat
Rochefourchat
Location within Rhône-Alpes region Rochefourchat
Coordinates:
Country	France
Region	Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Department	Drôme
Arrondissement	Die
Canton	La Motte-Chalancon
Government
• Mayor (2008–2014)	Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Martigny
Area1	12.74 km2 (4.92 sq mi)
Population (2008)2	1
• Density	0.078/km2 (0.20/sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code	26274 / 26340
Elevation	600–1,513 m (1,969–4,964 ft) (avg. 963 m or 3,159 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.

Rochefourchat is a commune in the Drôme department in the Rhône-Alpes region in southeastern France. In the commune there is a single house, a converted barn, and the ruins of an old castle. The nearest communes to Rochefourchat are Saint-Nazaire-le-Désert, Les Tonils, Pradelle, and Brette.

History

In 1178, the castle of Rocha Forcha was built by the bishops of the arrondissement of Die as a stronghold against the Holy Roman Emperors. It belonged to French lords until the year 1766 when the last one, Lord Rey de Noinville, died. In 1796, a French trader, Pierre Jossaud bought the land surrounding the castle and renamed it Rochefourchat. The commune has been passed down through Jossaud's family.

Population

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1806	221	—
1911	64	−71.0%
1950	31	−51.6%
1962	14	−54.8%
1968	6	−57.1%
1975	2	−66.7%
1982	3	+50.0%
1990	2	−33.3%
1999	1	−50.0%
2008	1	+0.0%

There is only one permanent inhabitant, making it the least populous French commune.

See also

• France portal
• Communes of the Drôme department

References

• INSEE