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.

As of the 1999 census, there was just one permanent inhabitant, a 38-year old divorced man. Therefore, it holds the record of being the least populous populated French commune.

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.

References

Based on the article in the French Wikipedia.