Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The castle of Landonvillers, located in Courcelles-Chaussy (Moselle), finds its origins in the sixteenth century, when it was built by Thomas the Cat, local lord, in a Renaissance style. This seigneurial mansion, passed on to the family of Ménonville in the 18th century, was entirely rebuilt in 1873 by Charles-Joseph de Bouteiller, MP for Metz, who adjusted a park with rare species. The building underwent a radical transformation between 1903 and 1905 under the impulse of Dr. Jean von Haniel, a German notable, who entrusted the plans to Bodo Ebhardt, architect of Emperor William II. The latter incorporated a square dungeon and a 50-metre belfry, blending Romanesque, late Gothic, Renaissance, Wilhelmian and Jugendstil styles, reflecting the Germanic influence of the period.

During World War I, the castle was abandoned and then bought by the airman François de Marmier, who tried to establish a modern farm there. After his death in 1932, the estate passed to the civilian Hospices of Metz, serving in turn as an open-air school, headquarters during the Second World War, and even shelter for sheep. Abandoned for decades, it was saved in 1993 by Norbert Vogel, a psychotherapist and writer, who installed a unique collection of ancient icons (XVIth–XIXth centuries), making the castle the first museum of icons in France. The estate, registered as historical monuments since 1997, now embodies a hybrid architectural and cultural heritage, marked by Franco-German tensions.

The castle is inseparable from the history of Landonvillers, a former Mosellan commune attached to Courcelles-Chaussy in 1973. Its course reflects the political upheavals of the region: passage under German domination (1871–1918), successive occupations, and various conversions. The railway built in 1868, used in particular to transport Emperor William II, as well as the open-air school for TB children in Metz (active until 2015), testify to his social and logistical anchor. The building, today private, remains a symbol of the identity metamorphoses of Lorraine.

External links