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Origin and history

The Château de Villers is a fortified house built on the hamlet of Villers, in the commune of Maisoncelle-et-Villers (département of the Ardennes, Grand Est region). Its body of main house, with a massive rectangular plane, is flanked by three cylindrical turrets of angle, while a fourth (northwest) has disappeared at an indefinite time. A fifth central turret houses a spiral staircase. The anterior façade, marked by the date 1741, bears witness to a redevelopment extending the openings and modernizing the interior comfort, contrasting with the posterior façade maintaining its original 16th century appearance. Inside, the rooms on the ground floor, separated by a corridor to the stairway, feature Louis XIII style fireplaces, while the floor features Louis XIV fireplaces and French-style solos.

The site suffered repeated attacks, notably in 1622 by the troops of Ernst von Mansfeld and in 1641 by the Sedanese forces after the Battle of the Marfea, each requiring restoration. Successive property of the families of Tige (original constructors), Villelongue, Argy and Galopin, it served as a seigneurial residence for the lords of Villers-devant-Raucourt. Today transformed into a farm and remains private, the castle has been listed as historic monuments since 2000. Its discreet access, below the hamlet (262 m above sea level), is via a country road perpendicular to D 27.

The farm yard retains a 17th century pavilion roof dependence, while a low extension (ground floor only), built in 1913 in the same stony material, was joined to the main body. The vaulted cellars, the chimneys of distinct eras (Louis XIII and XIV) and traces of past destruction illustrate the architectural and historical evolution of this strong house, both a place of power and resistance in the Ardennes.

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