Timeline

Origin and history

The Château du Val, also known as Villa du Val, is located in the commune of Humbécourt, in the Haute-Marne department, in the Grand Est region. It is 2 km south-east of the village, near the farm of Martha, on the edge of the forest of Val. This forest, which inspired its name, extends over several communes including Humbécourt, Attancourt and Saint-Dizier, marking a wooded landscape characteristic of this part of the humid Champagne.

Construction of the castle began in 1870, as evidenced by the laying of its first stone that year. The eclectic building features three levels under a four-sided roof, with a four-storey northwest corner tower. An annex of two levels has been added to the east façade. Although the castle is neither listed nor classified as historic monuments, its landscaped park, located in the south, includes a large water room and a tennis court, reflecting the taste of 19th-century bourgeois properties.

Private property not open to the public, the Château du Val illustrates the residential architecture of the late 19th century in rural areas. Its relative isolation, on the edge of the forest, and its lack of current heritage protection contrast with its integration into the local historical landscape. The forest of Val, divided between seven communes, is a major geographical and historical element to understand its location.

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