Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Adt Castle, originally called "Château Sainte-Croix", was built in 1850 in Forbach, Moselle. Originally, it housed a forestry and agricultural school founded by Jean Staub, but it declined in 1852. Repurchased in 1856 by an industrialist from Mainz, the site became a factory of chemical matches before being acquired in 1864 by the Adt family, then director of a cardboard factory.

In 1867, a stone villa in Jaumont, the "Villa Bartier", was built on the estate. The castle was enlarged in 1911 by two wings, then in 1913. After World War I, the Adt family, accused of pro-German sympathies, was expelled. The castle was purchased in 1919 by the family of Wendel, mining operators of Petite-Rosselle, before becoming a hospital in 1924 under the name of "hospital Sainte-Barbe" or "hospital des Houillères".

During the Second World War, the estate buildings were used by the German administration. Today, Adt Castle houses the Forbach Music and Dance Conservatory. Its park, including the Parc Sainte-Barbe, and its outbuildings (like a party hall) testify to its rich industrial and hospital history. The site also preserves traces of its Second Empire architecture, marked by the Jaumont Stone.

Toponymically, the castle bore several names: "Château Sainte-Croix" at its beginning, then "Château Adt" after its acquisition by the eponymous family. After his conversion to a care facility, he was also called "Hospital Sainte-Barbe". Despite these changes, the name "Alt Castle" remains the most widely used today.

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