Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

Vittel's villas form an iconic architectural complex of the Vosges spa, built between the late 19th and early 20th centuries. These buildings reflect the rise of the water cities in France, where the aristocracy and the bourgeoisie came to take the waters for health care. The eclectic architecture of these villas, combining classical influences and Art Nouveau, bears witness to the fascist of this era and the growing attraction for seaside recreation.

The Nino villa, erected in 1886-1887 by architect Charles Garnier for his son Christian, marks the beginning of this ensemble. Its extension, the villa Minima, was added in 1905. The villa Saint-Pierre, former villa Debrousse, was built in 1893 by Garnier for Pierre Bouloumié, a key developer of the resort. These achievements are part of a context of urban development linked to thermal activity, where architecture became a symbol of prestige and modernity.

The twin villas Saint-Louis and Sainte-Marie, known as " villas for two doctors", were designed in 1912 by architect André Colin. Their construction illustrates the adaptation of infrastructure to the needs of health professionals attracted by the therapeutic virtues of Vittel water. These villas, protected since 1990, today embody the French seaside heritage, combining medical history, remarkable architecture and social heritage.

The listing of villas as Historic Monuments in 1990 helped preserve their facades, roofs and some interiors. These protections include the decorative and structural elements that characterize the thermal style of the era. Their property, shared in private hands and a society, raises conservation issues for future generations.

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