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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

Bournel Castle, located in Cubrial (Doubs), is an 80-hectare estate comprising an abandoned 18th-century castle, a neo-Gothic castle built around 1860, and a golf course. Owned by the Moustier family for five centuries, he took his name from Louise de Bournel, wife of the Marquis Philippe-Xavier de Moustier in 1732. The initial project of a castle in the eighteenth century, launched by Louise, was partially realized ("Vieux Château"), but abandoned before its completion.

Around 1860, the Marquis Léonel de Moustier, diplomat and minister under Napoleon III, had the current neo-Gothic castle erected by architect Clement Parent, pupil of Viollet-le-Duc, assisted by Pierre Marnotte. His son, Pierre-René de Moustier, completed the interior decoration, built a chapel inspired by Amboise, designed the French gardens and planted an English park. Between 1890 and 1910, he also transformed the "Old Castle" to give it its present appearance.

During the Second World War, the estate served as a refuge for resistors, allied airmen shot down and refractory to the STO. The neogothic castle and its chapel were classified as historical monuments in 1989, while the communes, stables, farm, and elements of the park (including a classified cave) were listed. The site, including the village of Cubry, has been protected since 1997. Today, the "Old Castle" houses a hotel, and the estate has an 18-hole golf course.

The gardens, labeled "remarkable", combine terraces, factories (kiosk, basin), regular and irregular paths, as well as a vegetable garden decorated with sculptures. The private chapel houses the burial of four generations of deputies of the Doubs from the Moustier family, highlighting its regional political and historical anchor.

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