Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Château de Montby, located on the eponymous plateau in the Doubs, came into being in the 14th century when the family of Montby (the younger branch of Vienna) erected a fortress to replace an 11th century building. This strategic site, first mentioned in the middle of the 14th century, suffered several devastating sieges (1351, 1475, 1543, 1637), requiring successive repairs and architectural modifications. During the Revolution, the estate was sold as a national property and converted into a farm until the mid-20th century.

The buildings, organised in a trapezoidal plane around a central courtyard with a cistern, combine military features (cannons, barbacans, traces of drawbridge) and Renaissance elements (windows, lintels in aisle). A classic arcade gallery, dated 1611, adorns the western facade, while the wing was destroyed in 1870 during the Prussian occupation. The moat, now filled, once stood together.

The castle changed hands through the centuries: from Montby (XI-15th century) to Montmartin (XVI-15th century), then to Lanans (XVth century) before being acquired by the Mettetal family, the current owner. Listed in the Supplementary Inventory of Historic Monuments since 2009, it is preserved thanks to the association Les Amis du château de Montby (created in 2008), which organizes visits, craft workshops and animations in costumes of the time.

The castle's vocation evolves with its history: a place of feudal power, a post-revolutionary farm, and then a heritage site open to the public. The Heritage Days and the open doors of mid-June make it possible to discover its rooms, its partial painted decorations, and its role in local history, between conflicts and architectural renaissances.

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