Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Château Maugiron came into being at the beginning of the 16th century, when Pierre de Maugiron, Grand écuyer de Lorraine, ordered its construction. The foundations of this first building, still visible today, bear witness to this initial period. The site remains linked to the Lorraine nobility until the 18th century, marked by major transformations.

In 1720 Valfroicourt was incorporated into the county of Hoffelize, and the Counts of the same name settled in the castle. Charles Georges of Hoffelize, the last lord of the place, chamberlain of the emperor and marshal of camp, undertook a complete reconstruction in the 18th century style. The works were completed in 1789, but the French Revolution broke out immediately: the count fled through an underground towards the Abbey of Notre-Dame de Bonfays, while angry peasants laid siege and set fire to the castle.

The quashed ruins were reused in the 19th century to build a more modest construction for a farm. It was only in the 20th century that Mr. and Mrs. Peiffer saved the building from degradation. Their restoration allows to preserve original elements, such as wrought iron balconies and interior woodwork. The castle, with its facades, roofs and garden, was finally listed as historical monuments on 31 August 1990.

The castle's current architecture reflects these successive historical strata. Half of the building retains 18th-century openings and decorations, while the back once housed a French-style park, now partially neglected. The site thus illustrates the political and social upheavals that marked Lorraine between the Ancien Régime and the contemporary era.

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