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Origin and history

The Castle of Fürst, located in Folschviller in Moselle, is mentioned from the twelfth century under the name "Virst bel Valmena". It originally belonged to the seigneury of Valmont, ceded in 1134 to the abbey of Villers-Bettnach by Ervin de Valmont, sale confirmed by the bishop of Metz Étienne de Bar. This first castle, accompanied by a farm, was destroyed in the 16th century, then rebuilt in the 18th century with a southward oriented facade, protected by a ditch and five towers still visible around 1820.

Over the centuries, the estate changed hands several times: sold in 1580 to Henningen's Sire, it passed to the families of Raigecourt (1601), Busselot, Bock (1760), and then to the Forget of Barst. In 1681 the seigneury belonged to Philippe de La Vigne, whose widow Jeanne de Blair and Gaspard de Gillot inherited it at the beginning of the 18th century. The castle was also owned by the families of Gillot, Bock and Forget de Barst, all allied.

In 1926, the castle was acquired by the Compagnie des Mines de Saint-Avold to install the direction of the headquarters of Folschviller. After a fire in 1967, it was renovated and reopened in 1969 as a socio-cultural home of the Houillères du Bassin de Lorraine, before being given in 1997 to the Neuhauser group, which is still the owner of it today, with adjacent horse riding.

The territory of Fürst historically included a castral chapel, an annex to the parish of Teting, as well as a farm. The seigneury exercised high, medium and low justice under the authority of the bishopric of Metz in 1681. The site, marked by architectural transformations and changes of owners, reflects the history of Lorraine, between seigneurial, religious and industrial power.

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