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Origin and history

Belval Castle is a neo-renaissance building built at the beginning of the 20th century in the municipality of Saulcy, Vosges. Although located in this commune, it bears the name of Belval, a neighbouring village, because of its orientation towards this territory and the land acquisitions carried out by the Nansé family on this locality. The pyramid pillars marked with a "N" still visible today attest to these properties.

Initiated by Louis-François Nansé (1847–1902) and his wife Marie Julie Louis (1858–1926), a colmarian industrialist, the castle was completed in 1904. The Nansé family settled in this Vosges valley after the 1870 war, developing textile factories and benefiting from the economic prosperity of the time. However, World War I marked a turning point: the near front led to the German army occupying the castle, as evidenced by the postcards of the period showing a different roof, modified after a fire.

After the war, the economic crisis and family conflicts caused textile activity to decline. The castle changed hands, passing to the Laedrich family, before being requisitioned by the Gestapo during the Second World War. It was then used as a place of detention and torture for local resistors, a fact commemorated by a nearby monument. In the 1960s, the site hosted holiday settlements for the children of Citroën factories, while the adjoining textile factory was demolished, erasing the traces of this industrial past.

In the 21st century, the castle had several uses: accommodation for pensioners by the Caisse Régionale d'Insurance Maladie until 2006, then extended sale before being acquired by an individual in 2014. In 2022, the community of Saint-Dié agglomeration exercised its right of preemption after an auction, marking a new stage for this historic heritage.

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