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  2. Patrimoine
  3. Grand-Est
  4. Vosges
  5. 88330 Châtel-sur-Moselle

  6. Fortress of Châtel-sur-Moselle

 Fortress of Châtel-sur-Moselle dans les Vosges

Patrimoine classé
Patrimoine défensif
Forteresse

Fortress of Châtel-sur-Moselle

    8 Rue des Capucins 
    88330 Châtel-sur-Moselle
Property of the municipality; private property; owned by a private company
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Forteresse de Châtel-sur-Moselle
Forteresse de Châtel-sur-Moselle
Forteresse de Châtel-sur-Moselle
Forteresse de Châtel-sur-Moselle
Forteresse de Châtel-sur-Moselle
Forteresse de Châtel-sur-Moselle
Forteresse de Châtel-sur-Moselle
Forteresse de Châtel-sur-Moselle
Forteresse de Châtel-sur-Moselle
Forteresse de Châtel-sur-Moselle
Forteresse de Châtel-sur-Moselle
Forteresse de Châtel-sur-Moselle
Forteresse de Châtel-sur-Moselle
Forteresse de Châtel-sur-Moselle
Crédit photo : Zeb - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

Moyen Âge central
Bas Moyen Âge
Renaissance
Temps modernes
Révolution/Empire
XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
1100
1200
1300
1400
1500
1600
1700
1800
1900
2000
1072
Creation of Vaudémont County
1100
Construction of the first castle
1220-1250
First extension of the castle
1410-1420
Second extension (artillery)
1467-1471
Seats of the Duke of Lorraine
1671
Destruction by Louis XIV
1988
Historical monument classification
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

Cadastral plots included in the perimeter of the enclosure: AB 26, 27 place-dite La Ville ; AD 134, north of the former dungeon; AD 142, 150 and 144, 145, place called Les Capucins (cad. AB 26, 27 ; AD 134, 142, 144, 145, 150): entry by order of 18 April 1988; Park of the enclosure: AD 147, 149, North ditch and double enclosure north of the citadel; AB 20, forming the western part of the north ditch; AB 28, 29, 37, between the tower of the Treasury and the tower of the Sergeant-Ferry; AB 42, the boulevard; AB 45, parts of Boulevard and Boulevard Tower; AB 49, part of the Boulevard Tower and remains under the Notre Dame Monastery; AB 50, including the Tower of the Place; AB 56, south of the cellar of Neufchastel; AD 86, with the Etuve tower; AD 87, between the Charbon Tower and the Parterre Tower; AD 146, between the Chapel Tower, the Colombian Tower and the Campaign Tower; AD 134, southern part of the plot, between the former dungeon and the former Werdenberg hotel, including also the hall, the Vaudemont substructures, the guard room and the cellar of Neufchastel; AD 133, corresponding to the heart of the citadel with the cellars and well, excluding the modern building (see Box AD 133, 134, 146, 147, 149, 86, 87; AB 20, 28, 29, 37, 42, 45, 49, 50, 56): Order of 18 April 1988

Key figures

Gérard d’Alsace - Count of Vaudémont Founded the county in 1072.
Thiébaut VIII de Neufchâtel - Lord of Châtel (XVth) Modernized the defences against artillery.
Thiébaut IX de Neufchâtel - Marshal of Burgundy Reinforced the ditch and shield wall (1444-1460).
Élisabeth de Neufchâtel - Last heir Transmitted Châtel to Lorraine in 1544.
Louis XIV - King of France Ordained destruction in 1671.

Origin and history

Châtel-sur-Moselle fortress, located in the Vosges, is one of the largest castles in Europe with 5 hectares, 22 towers and 1.4 km of ramparts. His history began in 1072 with the creation of the county of Vaudémont, when Emperor Henry IV attributed the region to Gérard d'Alsace after a fraternal conflict. The first castle, built between 1072 and 1100, includes a 35-metre dungeon and a quadrangular enclosure, as well as a Romanesque church dedicated to Saint Laurent, parish until the 15th century.

In the 12th century, the castle extended under the impulse of the Counts of Vaudémont, vassals of the Dukes of Bar. Between 1220 and 1250, a second courtyard was added, protected by four military towers, including a door tower with drawbridge. The city below is surrounded by a wall attached to the castle. In 1317, a franchise charter granted rights to the population, promoting its urban development. The fortress passed in 1373 to the hands of the family of Neufchâtel, allied with Burgundy, marking a period of tension with the Dukes of Lorraine.

Between the 15th and 16th centuries, the fortress underwent three major extensions to adapt to artillery. Thiébaut VIII (1410-1420) adds a north enclosure flanked by five cannon towers, while Thiébaut IX (1444-1460), Marshal of Burgundy, builds a 57-metre ditch and a south shield wall. These arrangements allow Châtel to resist two seats of the Duke of Lorraine (1467, 1471). In the 16th century, Félix de Werdenberg erected a new seigneurial hotel before the fortress returned to Lorraine in 1544.

The Thirty Years' War (17th century) marked a turning point: Châtel received nine seats between 1634 and 1670. In 1671 Louis XIV ordered his partial destruction by French troops, and the local population buried the site under the earth. In the 18th century, two convents settled there, followed by a seminary in 1832. Rediscovered in 1972 by the Old Châtel Association, the fortress is classified as a historical monument in 1988. Restoration work now reveals its exceptional scope.

External links

Page Wikipedia
Official website
Page Monumentum