Fête du Munster

Gérardmer, historic cradle of Munster-Géromé

The Fête du Munster in Gérardmer perpetuates a cheese-making tradition centuries old. It was indeed in Gérardmer that, as early as 1559, the largest cheese market in the Vosges massif was held. Every June 24th, the marcaires — these farmer-cheesemakers from the high pastures — descended from their high-altitude pastures to sell their produce and set the reference price for the cheese. The very name Géromé, the Vosges appellation for Munster, is the dialectal form of Gérardmer, testifying to the inseparable link between the town and this exceptional cheese.

An AOP cheese with ancestral know-how

Munster-Géromé has benefited from an Appellation d'Origine Protégée (Protected Designation of Origin) since 1996 (AOC since 1969). This soft-ripened cheese with a washed rind is made exclusively from raw milk from cows fed on the pastures of the Vosges massif. Its production respects a strict specification: the milk is renneted, the curd is ladled into molds, salted on the surface, and then aged for at least 21 days for the small size and 5 weeks for the large size. The aging cellars, where each cheese is regularly turned and washed, give it its characteristic orange rind and its powerful aroma that make it famous.

A festive and gourmet program

The Fête du Munster features a farmers' market bringing together the best affineurs and marcaires from the massif. Visitors can taste Munster in all its forms: plain, hot on potatoes, in a pie, in a flambé tart, or melted in the famous Munster soup. Cheese-making workshops allow visitors to discover the ancestral gestures of curdling and molding. The traditional marcaire meal — vegetable soup, smoked meat with tofailles, cheese platter, and blueberry tart — offers a complete immersion into Vosges gastronomy.

Entertainment and conviviality at the foot of the Vosges

Throughout the day, folkloric musical entertainment punctuates the festival with accordions, Alpine horns, and groups in traditional costumes. Children enjoy a dedicated area with an educational farm and wooden games. Artisans from the Vosges region — brewers, beekeepers, charcuterie makers, distillers — complete the offering with their specialties: Vosges beers, fir honey, smoked sausages, and mirabelle plum brandies. Gérardmer, nestled on the edge of its lake and surrounded by fir forests, offers an exceptional natural setting for this celebration of Lorraine's gastronomic heritage.