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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

Girecourt-sur-Durbion Castle, built around 1540 by Pierre de Haraucourt, member of the Grands Chevaux de Lorraine, is a fortified seigneurial residence typical of the sixteenth century. Its initial structure, described in 1755, consists of four walls flanked by towering towers, a water ditch and a missing enclosure. During the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648), he housed Pierre de La Porte and his wife, whose children were baptized in the castral chapel. In 1639, the castle underwent a Swedish siege, and the legend reports that Turenne had stayed near the Calvary.

Acquired in 1705 by Jean-François Humbert, a lawyer in the service of Duke Léopold, the estate then passed to the Counts of Bourcier de Villers by marriage in 1737. In 1782 they erected a column commemorating the capture of Minorca by the Duke of Crillon (destroyed at the Revolution). In the 19th century, the park was built and the castle transformed. Sold in 1922 to Dr Lefèvre, the property has been restored since 1994 by the Courtalon family, revealing Renaissance caisson ceilings and remarkable architectural elements.

Ranked a Historic Monument in 1994 (extended in 1997), the castle was distinguished in 2012 by a prize of 10 000 € from the association Vieilles Maisons Françaises for the quality of its restoration. The works preserved original elements such as an ogival window of the chapel and 16th century ceilings, considered among the most beautiful of Lorraine. The estate, including a park with the ruins of the Crillon column, remains a major testimony of Lorrain history.

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