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Key figures

Origin and history

The castle of Helfedange, located in Guinglange in Moselle, is originally a fortified farm built in the 12th century. Its architecture combines a rectangular four-body building and two round towers, with elements added in the seventeenth century. This monument illustrates the evolution of medieval defensive buildings adapted to agricultural and seigneurial needs.

In 1259 Herman von Kriechingen left the castle to his son Similo Helfingen, marking the beginning of his feudal history. In the 14th century, it became a fief of the bishopric of Metz, then passed into the hands of the house of Beaupar (or Bayer of Boppard). In the 16th century he was handed over to Pierre Nimsgern, secretary of Charles Quint, before being sold to John IV of Nassau-Sarrebruck, then bequeathed to his natural sons John and Philip. The complex succession continued with heirs like Louis de Nassau or Baron Pierre-Ernest de Créhange, who acquired it in 1602 for 40,000 guilders.

The 17th century saw the castle change of hands several times: sold or given as a pledge to Duke Eberhard VII of Württemberg in 1654, its property was contested by the Counts of Créhange. In 1679 he was transferred to the Jean X rhingrave of Kirbourg for 10 500 guilders, then leased to Luc Leroy de Monluc in 1682. After estate disputes at the beginning of the 18th century, he returned to the Counts of Créhange in 1719, before being modified by François d'Amelin de Rochemorin in 1779.

In the 19th century, the castle houses from 1822 to 1832 the École normale supérieure d'institutors de la Moselle, one of the first in France. During the Second World War, he served as a military headquarters: occupied by the 167 German ID in 1940, then by American troops in 1944. Today, there remains a private property, passed on to the descendants of the Célini de Cressac family, and is not open to the public.

The toponymy of the castle reflects its linguistic and regional history, with variants such as Herfelange (1270), Helfedanges (1350), or Helflingerschloss in German. These names testify to the Lorrain and Germanic influences that have marked the Moselle throughout the centuries.

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