Garrebourg
Garrebourg is a commune in the Moselle department in Grand Est, north-eastern France.
Toponymy
Throughout history, the name of the village has been written in different ways and many historians disagree about its origin.In a German document, Ernst Herr, it is written that Garebergh, on the edge of the Marche de Marmoutier, existed as early as the beginning of the ninth century.
In the Toponymie générale de la France, it is noted that Garebeurc was already mentioned in the tenth century and became Garburg in 1576, then Garbourg and Garburg in 1719. The text states that the name Garrebourg comes from the Germanic Garo and Burg.
According to Sigrist, the village is mentioned in twelfth-century charters under the name Bareberch, a village on the mount of Borra which, by corruption, became the modern Garberg or Garbourg. The word Borra was also used in ancient documents to refer to the Upper Barr.
According to Langethal, the name evolved into Bareberg, Barberch and then Garberch.
Finally, according to Guy Kremer, the Burgi were Lower Roman fortresses that commanded the passages through the northern Vosges, and Garre comes from Guaita, a Germanic military term that evolved into Warte and garde in French. ‘Garrebourg’ would therefore mean “observatory fort”, which might make sense given the place known as Schlossberg, a mound overlooking the Zorn valley.