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Origin and history

The Olferding farm, located in Gros-Réderching en Moselle, is one of the last remains of the disappeared village of Alberting (or Albertingen), whose name has evolved in Olferding over the centuries. This hamlet, mentioned in 1577 under the name of Albertingen, was located in the Wolferbach valley, 1500 metres east of the present village. Today there is only a 15th century chapel and the Olferdinger Hof, a farm whose history is linked to the Ducal family of Lorraine. The site, formerly owned by the Dukes, was ceded in 1714 by Leopold I to Henri de Mallan, an Irish knight who became the Duke's bodyguard.

The current buildings were erected from 1737 under the impulse of Jacques-Henry de Mallan, son of Henry and lieutenant in the regiment of Saxony. The work was entrusted to the Gavenesch masons, from Bining. Although recent additions have altered the surroundings, the main house has retained its original appearance, mixing bourgeois traits and rural influences. Its facade, framed by two pavilions and covered with flat roof tiles, bears witness to this hybrid architecture. The name Olferding derives from an onomastic evolution of the Germanic Albert-ing, where Albert was later transposed into Olfard or Olfred.

The place's toponymy reflects this linguistic transformation, with various mentions over the centuries: Olbertingen (1681), Olferdingen (1736), or Olferding's farm (1967). The site is also associated with a 15th century chapel, the last religious vestige of the disappeared village. A study published in 1977 in Les Cahiers lorrains documents this chapel, highlighting its historical importance in the country of Bitche. Today, Olferding's farm embodies both a Lorraine architectural heritage and the memory of a place inhabited since the Middle Ages.

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