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Origin and history

The castle of Guermange, located in the Moselle department in the Grand Est region, has its origins in the 12th century. It was originally built to monitor the cornea of Lindre Pond, a strategic water body. This first defensive building marked the medieval anchoring of the site in a territory then under the influence of the Dukes of Lorraine, then of the King of France. The pond, the successive property of these powers, became an economic and political issue, especially when it was nationalized in 1790 during the French Revolution.

Between 1544 and 1547, Hans de Guermange undertook a campaign of restoration and expansion of the castle, thus modernizing a medieval structure. The following centuries saw the estate change of hands several times: sold as national property in 1793 after the confiscation of the property of Adam-Philippe of Custine, it was acquired in 1807 by the Masson family, of the local capitalists. The marriage of Antoine Achille Masson with Adelaide Josephine Bachasson de Montalivet, descendant of a general of the Empire, consolidated the property and launched a policy of acquisition around the pond, including the redemption of the land of Guermange in 1856.

The present castle, rebuilt in the 18th century and partially redesigned in the 19th century, was used militarily during the Second World War. It is occupied by the Germans and serves as a military hospital and a girls' camp, while benefiting from restorations by the occupying forces. The farm and barn stable, built in the 18th and 19th centuries respectively, testify to the agricultural activity of the estate. In 1974, the Moselle department acquired the castle and the surrounding ponds, transforming the site into a protected nature reserve within the Lorraine Regional Natural Park.

The inclusion of the castle in the historic monuments in 1980, for its facades and roofs of the pavilions of the corner, underlines its heritage importance. The "Free House", originally acquired with the estate, is sold later, while the Lindre pond and its outbuildings become a space dedicated to ecological preservation. This site thus illustrates the evolution of a seigneurial estate into a major natural and historical heritage of the region.

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