ROCHEFOURCHAT

'Rochefourchat' is a commune of the Drôme department in the Rhône-Alpes region in the south-east of 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.
As of the 1999 census, there was just one inhabitant, a 38-year old divorced man. Therefore, it holds the record of being the least populous French commune.

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History

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, right down the current inhabitant, Jeanne Isoard.