It is said to have been imported by Swedish soldiers who devastated the Duchy of Lorraine during the Thirty Years' War and crossbred with the local population.

[1] It is believed to have found a terrain in the Vosges similar to Scandinavia and naturally adapted to the granite massif and mountainous climate.

Photos from the late 19th century to the 1960s show animals that were almost entirely black with white heads or piebald, but very few were speckled.

[3] In the past, two types coexisted, selected from different geographical areas: in the Bruche valley, cows were small and slender, and in the Munster region, they were more massive.

[4] The Vosgienne breed, represented by the cow Candy, is the official mascot of the 2011 International Agricultural Show in Paris.