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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The château de Gombervals, built between 1338 and 1357 by Geoffroy de Nancy-Lenoncourt, is a typical mid-14th century stronghold, 3.5 km northwest of Vaucouleurs (Meuse). Originally commissioned as a strategic point on the road between Vaucouleurs and Commercy, he was integrated into the French royal domain in 1335 when Philip VI acquired the seigneury of Vaucouleurs by exchange with Jean de Joinville. The castle, with four corner towers and a slotted dungeon-porch, was used to monitor the paths of the chestnut and to assert royal authority in an unstable border region.

In 1367, the castle hosted a major event: the signing of the Treaty of Vaucouleurs between Charles V and the Duke of Lorraine, sealed by a lavish banquet in the presence of nobles such as Olivier de Clisson and Taillevent, the first royal queen. This treaty was aimed at pacifying private wars destabilizing Lorraine and Champagne. Over the centuries, the castle changed hands among seven seigneurial families, including the Nancy-Lenoncourt, the Vernancourt, and the Halls, before being partially dismantled to serve as a stone quarry for the villagers.

Abandoned as a seigneurial residence in 1769, the castle fell into ruins until it was safeguarded in 1989 by the Association Gombervaux, founded to restore and revive it. Ranked a Historic Monument in 1994, the site benefited from major restoration campaigns, such as the reconstruction of moat, the consolidation of towers, and the re-creation of an oak hers (2017). Today, the castle bears witness to medieval military architecture and the turbulent history of the Lorrain steps.

The dungeon-porch, the heart of the castle, has five levels with ground chimneys and dust windows, while the shields carved on its facade remind the houses of Myon, the Halls, and the Hautoy. Archaeological excavations (2000–2001) revealed remains of the extinct northwest tower and 18th-century furnaces. The association now organizes cultural events to enhance this heritage, attracting an audience anxious to rediscover a fortress linked to the history of Lorraine and medieval France.

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