Castle of Lunéville

The dukes of Lorraine had a castle with Lunéville since the 13th century. The current castle was built on behalf of the duke Léopold between 1703 and 1720 on plans of Pierre Bourdict, Nicolas Dorbay then of Germain Boffrand.

The duke Léopold, dissatisfied of sound Ducal Palate of Nancy which it tried to transform, entirely made rebuild the Château of Lunéville XVIIe-XVIIIe according to a plan of the Château of Versailles. It was embellished and increased by Stanislas Leszczyński, which had made its main home of it.

Masterpiece of the architecture of the 18th century, it is called the “Versailles Lorrain” and was classified historic building in 1901.

The last duke of Lorraine, Stanislas Leszczyński, died there accidentally in 1766, in front of the chimney of its room. This date marks the annexation of the Duché of Lorraine and the Duché of Bar by the France.

The princely apartments belong to the ministry for Defense, and the remainder of the building to the General advice of Meurthe-et-Moselle.

The castrum and the first extremely medieval castle

The current castle occupies the site of an old fortification whose origin is about the year millet. No document reveals the existence of a human settlement at this place before the end of the 10th century.

The site of Lunéville is then the property of powerful the episcopal counts of Metz. The count Folmar made there édidier a Castrum in order to control the crossing of the Vezouze on the invaluable road of salt, energy of Vic-on-Pail towards Deneuvre and Raon-l' Stage, to gain Sélestat and the Alsace. One is unaware of all the architecture of this Castrum, which could be only one light enclosure allowing the perception of tolls.

In second half of the 12th century, the ground of Lunéville passes to a branch junior by Folmar with Hugues de Bliescastel, who takes the title of Hugues Ier de Lunéville. True a strong Château succeeds the Castrum then. This construction undertaken by Hugues Ier or its son Hugues II materializes the capacity of this new line seigneuriale. This capacity will be of short duration, since as of 1243, the seigneurery of Lunéville enters the field of the duke of Lorraine Mathieu II, which becomes owner of the castle.

One knows the overall party of the building, which was on left bank of the Vezouze, near a bridge, with the site of the current castle. It was a confined quadrangular building of turns, surrounded on three sides by a water ditch supplied with the river which runs along the northern side.

It is in this strong Château that the Ducs of Lorraine readily remain during all the Moyen-âge. Some are interested in it more particularly and do important work there, as the duke Raoul who founds in 1343 a vault castrale dedicated to Sainte Marie and with Saint Antoine. At the 15th century, time disturbed with the Bourguignons which occupy Lunéville in 1476, the dukes, often absent from the country, forsake the castle which is degraded. Only Rene II tries at the extreme end of the century to save the building of the ruin. It made there some repairs and enlargings in the new spirit of the Rebirth.

In their turn, the dukes Antoine and Charles III frequently remain with Lunéville and maintain the castle regularly. The most important transformations take place under the reign of Charles III, which gives in state or creates many fortified towns in Lorraine. Thus it makes build with Lunéville a new enclosure with the bastionné layout. Work approximately lasts of 1587 with 1591 and doubles on three sides the medieval wall, including in the east the suburb of Germany. It results from it an important modification in topography from the city. The medieval enclosure draws a quadrilateral dominated in the North-East by the strong Château, which occupies a strategic place in the defense of the city. The second enclosure is surrounded by ditches filled by water of the Vezouze; inside, the castle is isolated from the city by an additional line of defense.

It seems that the duke Charles III is of advantage interested in the defensive system that with the medieval castle, which appears very damaged at the end of its reign, one of the turns threatening even ruin.

The rebuilding by the duke Henri II

The successor of Charles III, Henri II decides to entirely rebuild the castle to make Lunéville one of his main homes. In 1609, the architect Nicolas Marchal and the mathematician Jean-Baptiste Stabili draw up plans for a house. Two years later, the architect Jean Lyot works out new projects; work is entrusted to Jean Hiere, architect of the ducal buildings, who constructs many buildings with Nancy and elsewhere in ducal Lorraine. The building site finishes towards 1620 with creation by Hector Parent of the garden “with behind castle”. Construction involves the progressive disappearance of the old medieval building, of which it only remains in 1630 “one old main building” and a tower in very bad condition.

The residence of Henri II is known by a statement of 1690 preserved at the Departmental records of Meurthe-et-Moselle. Of plan out of U, it is composed of a flanked central body of two important houses and two bodies of gantry in return of square finishing each one by a small rectangular house. A bored wall of a gate closes the court. A horseshoe staircase gives access to the garden. This plan remains readable in the current castle, whose central body rises today on the foundations of old, which occupied, like today, the highest point of the site.

This second castle is inhabited only very little time by the duke of Lorraine. Less than twenty years after its construction, it is burnt at the time of the conflict with the France, which involves in 1638 the seat of Lunéville then the demolition of its fortifications. Moreover, the Guerre Thirty Year old deprives the Lorraine of its legitimate sovereigns until in 1697, date of the Traité of Ryswick which finally restores with the duke Léopold the sovereignty of its states.

The work of Germain Boffrand for Lorraine Versailles

After one century of disasters, the reign of Léopold (1697 - 1729) is one boom from which Lunéville profits particularly.

On its Lorraine arrival in , Léopold, which settles with Nancy, is interested very quickly in Lunéville, where it probably envisages to remain. Thus, as of 1698, it makes undertake important repairs in the castle built by Henri II. The majority of the parts are remade and one builds a small building to place the guards. In parallel, Léopold orders the rebuilding partial of the Ducal Palais of Nancy.

All that is only the prelude to what will be undertaken starting from 1702.

On this date, beginning of the War of succession of Spain, the troops of Louis XIV occupy the ducal possessions however neutral including Nancy and remain there until the end of the conflict in 1714. Léopold, refusing this occupation in fact, decides to leave its capital. Its choice is made naturally on its property of Lunéville, in which it invested already much.

However, in spite of recent work, the old castle is not enough vast to receive the many court of Léopold. Its demolition, then decided, will leave the place to an immense building site of rebuilding. Through this decision the desire and the will appear affirmed by Léopold to affirm its legitimacy and its sovereignty like made the occupant with his castle of Versailles.

Additional reason to choose Lunéville: the distance between this city and Nancy coincides with the standards of the time, that is to say approximately a day with horse.

The chronology of work remains difficult to establish. It spreads out 1703 with 1723, installation date final of the court with Lunéville. The building site advances, knows a great slowness with more or less intense working lives, related to the financial resources of the duke.

The first period of work consists in the creation of a forecourt bordered by two new buildings, in the prolongation of the old construction. It is carried out of 1703 to 1705 by Pierre Bourdict named in 1700 “first architect and director of the works of sculpture” of the duke. In 1708, the architect Nicolas Dorbay, who also works with the castle of Commercy, takes the direction of the building site. Then open a second campaign which will be very active until in 1718. Lastly, a third campaign, which includes the most important work, begins after a fire in January 1719. It is then the largest building site of Lorraine, in which many craftsmen and artists are committed.

The name of the French architect Germain Boffrand, which is associated with the construcion castle of Lunéville, actually appears only starting from 1709, year when it presents to the Academy the “plans and rises which it made for the chasteau of Lunéville, that Mister the Duke of Lorraine starts to make rebastir according to his intentions”. Boffrand, disciple and collaborator of Jules Hardouin-Mansart, enters to the service of the duke and becomes in 1711 its “first architect”. The plans péparés by him are submitted to the duke Léopold Ier who chooses the final draft. Six different projects are known today; none being dated, it is difficult to classify them chronologically in an unquestionable way. Us know however that several of them were proposed for the third and last campaign work, which begins in 1719, following an accident which comes to stop the completion of the building site brutally: a fire is declared in the night of the January 3rd and destroyed in a few hours all the south-eastern part including/understanding the ducal apartments and part of the central body. With the favor of this accident, Germain Boffrand prepares new plans which it must modify several times before obtaining the agreement of the duke. It should be specified that Léopold Ier, not having been able to obtain the financial supports which it hoped for, aims to the economy and wishes to restore “the wing burned” such as it was before the fire, by using recoverable materials.

The final draft of plan out of H is, as a whole, that which presents Germain Boffrand in 1745 in its Book of architecture. There will remain however unfinished since the wing which was to skirt the Vezouze to north built forever. Is it necessary to evoke the financial problems of the duke Léopold in this premature interruption of construction? It is obvious that Germain Boffrand wished to see its completed project: it is indeed in its totality which it presents it a score of year after the end of work in its Book of architecture where it explains remainder that “the left wing on the side of the river is not made and étoit intended for the residences of Princes Etrangers”.

In addition to the financial constraint, the architect must overcome the natural obstacles. The ground offers an important unevenness of is in west, while dominating the river on the northern side, where the ground is very marshy. Moreover, the site of the old castle was limited too much for a construction of such a width, from where obligation to buy and demolish houses, in particular for the realization of the park.

This one and the gardens prolonging in the east a terrace are called the “Thickets” as of the beginning of work. From 1710, they take a considerable extension and are arranged by Yves of Hours, a disciple of Ours. From 1724, Louis de Nesle supplements the work of Yves of Hours. To arrange all this space, it was necessary to fill the old ditches, to channel the river and to shave several constructions. One calls upon the engineer Didier Lalance for the “water jets and cascades”, and with Philippe Vayringe which carries out in 1732 a “machine to raise water of the Vezouze and to lead them in the gardens”. Many artists such as Barthélemy Guibal (between autes) decorate the floors of sculptures.

The March 27th 1729, the death of Léopold has as a consequence the stop of all work. The heir to the ducal crown, François-Stephan, that her father had sent to finish his education in Austria, leaves the regency of his states to his mother, Elisabeth Charlotte of Orleans.

The duchess lives with the castle, surrounded by her two daughters and her second wire, the prince Charles-Alexandre. It is it which makes build in 1733 the “room of comedy”, in the prolongation of the ducal apartments, in the south-east of the castle. It made there transport starting from 1735 part of the decorations of the Opera of Nancy realized by the Italian architect Antonio Bibiena. Before the construction of this first theater, the stage performances, which were one of the favorite distractions of the court, took place on a dismountable scene installed in the gardens.

The end of the War of succession of Poland obliges the duchess regent Elisabeth-Charlotte of Orleans to leave in its turn Lunéville to withdraw itself with Commercy (March 6th 1737). Its departure, which symbolizes the future transfer of the Lorraine to the France and the disappearance of the old dynasty, gives place to true scenes of hysteria on behalf of a crowd desperate and eager to show its attachment with the ducal family.

The April 3rd according to, Stanislas Leszczyński arrives at Lunéville. Father-in-law of the king de France Louis XV, this king de Pologne in exile, détrôné twice, receives, following the Traité of Vienna (1738), the duchy of Lorraine and the duchy of Bar which must with its death enter the royal field French. He will be in relity only one nominal duke, not to say a sovereign marionette, having given up all effective capacity with the profit of the chancellor Antoine-Martin Chaumont of Galaizière which prepares without care the duchies with the total loss of their independence. In the absence of political power, Stanislas is satisfied to carry out a princely life in the middle of an important court. He indeed keeps a great freedom only in the intellectual and artistic field, and thus places the Lunéville among the most brilliant courses European of the 18th century.

Structure of festival of a king builder

While arriving at Lunéville, Stanislas finds a castle in perfect state, completely adapted to a princely life. It only remains to him to put at its taste installation and decoration interiors who were dismounted on the order of François III. The architecture of the castle thus does not undergo any modification. However, distribution of the ducal apartments not corresponding to the requirements of the ceremonial of the Polish ex-king, new the " souverain" fact of modifying the fitting of the parts, which it refurnishes and decorates with many objects, tapestries and paintings.

The most important work takes place in the park. If Stanislas preserves the general plan of the “Thickets”, it increases their surface. In the south, it creates new floors along the houses of the street of Germany, in the prolongation of its apartments and those of his wife. In north, it buys in 1738 and 1739 the marshy grounds of the edge of the Vezouze which it makes cleanse and arrange in “New Thickets”. Then it made there raise completely original constructions, in the tradition of the decorated Eastern gardens of many houses and factories.

To carry out its projects, Stanislas calls upon the architect Emmanuel Héré. Born in 1705, formed very young on the building site of Lunéville where his/her father works in the capacity as “clerk of work”, it enters to the agency of Germain Boffrand and becomes at the 32 years age “first architect” of Stanislas. Court gentleman, Emmanuel Héré can fulfill the requirements (to even put up itself with the whims) of Stanislas. Known today in the whole world to have created Royal Place celebrates it Nancy, it is with Lunéville that it develops best its genius of architectural invention by raising in the park a remarkable whole of factories, in particular “the Fisheries” (at the end of the “Large Channel”) or “the House of the Cascade”, high in 1743 above water falls laid out in an erudite way on three levels. However, the most extraordinary realization is that of the “Rock” which transforms into 1742 the base of the terrace of the castle on the northern side. On approximately 250 meters, along the “Large Channel”, stones and blocks of sandstone are laid out with the foot of the terrace and form an artificial whole of hills and crossed caves of paths and brooks. On this rock bottom, the clock and watch maker François Richard installs eighty eight automats, life size, which become animated thanks to clever hydraulic systems. The general topic is pastoral, where many country and bucolic scenes are represented. Symbol of imaginations of the king Stanislas, this theater of automats, which fills with wonder the prestigious visitors such Voltaire, Montesquieu or Helvétius, puts in scene a utopian world, such that some imagine it philosophical Age of Enlightenment to which Stanislas can be attached.

Between the “Large channel” and the “Pagoda”, basin parallel with the river, Emmanuel Young stag built, at the request of Stanislas, a whole of eight small named identical maisonnettes the “Chartreuses”. The king distributes them to his favorite, which cultivates their garden during one season there. Closely related to the life of the court, these constructions reflect the life of the sovereign. As for the gardening, it is an early demonstration of the romantic spirit of the “return to nature”, although this composition is not new: one already finds it towards 1680 with Marly, where Jules Hardouin-Mansart had built twelve small houses that Louis XIV intended for his guests.

The most remarkable factories of Lunéville are the “Kiosk” and the “Clover”. Built between 1738 and 1740, their exotic form, calling upon Chinese elements and Turkish, is an innovation in the French architecture of the middle of the 18th century. Here Emmanuel Héré is one of the first prime-contractors of these original forms, after the early example given in 1670 by Louis Vau to Versailles, with the Trianon de Porcelaine. In a more general way, creations of Emmanuel Héré integrated in the park of the castle mark a stage in the art of the gardens, which sees appearing and multiplying the factories in second half of the 18th century. Frequent in England as in the majority of the countries of Beyond the rhine, these buildings are for the majority close relations of this type of and “architectural imaginations” born with Lunéville towards 1740. (For proof, let us note that Stanislas Leszczyński with introduced the word “Kiosque” into the French language).

The castle of Lunéville knows its hours more the records. Largest philosophical of the Age of Enlightenment is had a presentiment of at the court of the king Stanislas. Lunéville became one of the principal intellectual centers of Europe, as well as the Palais of Sanssouci.

The February 23rd 1766, Stanislas dies. Louis XV not wanting to assume the expensive expenses of the heritage of a father-in-law whom he scorned, Lunéville loses its statute and its prestige.

The court does not have any more a raison d'être, the important personnel constituting the “civil House” and the “Military household” of the sovereign is simply very thanked. The life of the castle stops.

There remain nothing any more but the walls. Sumptuous furniture is dispersed and sold. The park is mutilated for lack of maintenance and disappearance of the decoration. The majority of the statues are sold with the auction. Certain groups of lead are bought on behalf of the Elector Palatine Charles Theodore of Bavaria for his castle of Schwetzingen, where they are always visible. The factories are yielded to private individuals, then fall in ruin. Notwithstanding, unlike the other residences of Stanislas, Lunéville is not destroyed.

Occupation by the army during the XIXe century

A few months after the death of Stanislas, the castle is transformed into barracks. Louis XV sends to it a garrison of the Gendarmerie of France. This one forms a crack corps made up of ten companies, adding up nearly a thousand of men. Recognizable with their scarlet cloth clothing, they are called the “Red Gendarmes”. A first detachment arrives at Lunéville as of the November 13rd 1766 and settles with the castle. Twenty years later, the Gendarmerie of France is dissolved. It is replaced with Lunéville by two regiments of “police officers of Mister”, who disappear in their turn with the Révolution.

The castle is then completely unused. The vault is transformed into store with fodder, before being used as meeting room to the local revolutionists. What remains furniture and woodworks of the castle, statues of the park and automats of the “Rock” is sold like quite national.

Under the Restoration, the castle finds a military function, which it will preserve in a partial way until our days. In recognition of its fidelity to the royalty, Louis XVIII gives in 1816 to the prince de Hohenlohe the pleasure of the castle. This last creates in 1824 there a military center of cavalry which is used as school to the officers. He becomes governor of the camp in addition a broad place is reserved there for the distractions, bringing a new animation in the city. Horse festivals, balls and reception réssucitent with the castle the brilliant life of the 18th century. In 1852 settles all a new division of cavalry. The officers are placed in the old ducal apartments giving on the garden. Stables are built on the northern side, in the court known as “of the Rock”. In spite of the constraints of the military life, the presence of the army during all the 19th century allows the safeguard and the maintenance of the building. Great work of restoration takes place following two fires: the first in 1814 destroys part of the northern wing, the second in 1849 causes extensive damage southern part.

Restorations of “after-Mérimée”

In 1861, the Minister for the war of the time (Jacques Louis Randon) requests near the Commission of the Historic buildings the classification of the building. It is a categorical refusal, the interest of the service then limiting to the medieval architecture. Prosper Mérimée draws up a report/ratio severe and scorning: it estimates that the castle “does not deserve to be classified among the Historic buildings; it is a large building of a rather barbarian style, even for the time of decline to which it was built”.

Fortunately, about fifty years later, the judgments evolved/moved. In 1901, one starts by classifying the vault. The remainder of the castle will be it in a partial way in 1929. Consequently, work of restoration continues, knowing interruption only during the second world war. The vault is restored of 1902 with 1904. The years 1938 and 1939 see the repair of the covers and balustrades of the principal body and the northern part.

From 1945 approximately, administrative services, municipal museum, messes, apartments and offices military occupy the building. The park, given in state starting from 1945, remains today a place of walk and relaxation appreciated of all.

The fire of January 2003

In the night of the 2 to the 3 January 2003, a large fire devastated the castle. Two thirds of the princely apartments, a third of the buildings of the General advice, all the roof of the south-eastern wing and the royal vault. The roofs, while crumbling, caused the crumbling of elements of masonry importants.
Measures of first urgency were taken since 2003 to ensure the safety of the visitors, at a cost of 3 million euros. A study of the restoration of the castle began in 2004, under the patronage of the architect as a chief of the historic buildings. Work will be financed by the General advice of Meurthe-et-Moselle, by the ministry for Defense, the insurances and European appropriations.

A preceding fire (March 19th 1961) had already caused damage, destroying the decoration of several rooms.

Restoration of the castle

Launched on April 2nd, 2005 by the general advice of Meurthe-et-Moselle and the ministry for defense, joint owners of the set fire to part, rebuilding works and of restoration of the castle progress according to the established calendar.

The emotion sucitée by this fire was transformed into a vast movement of mobilization carried by an association: Lunéville, castle of the Lights whose honorary president is his Imperial and Royal Highness the archduke Otto of Habsbourg-Lorraine, direct descendant and heir to the duke Léopold Ier of Lorraine which made build the castle in 1703. Several publications and editions as well as an Internet site make it possible to follow the evolution of the building site. The estimated total costs of this work (rebuilding and restoration) of more than 100 million euros, are distributed to 60% for the state owner and 40% with load of the department. It is currently the largest patrimonial building site in Europe. The restoration of the hall, majestic passage between course and gardens, was completed on October 21st, 2006 and that of the southern main staircase is in hand. The department of Meurthe & the Moselle and the ministry for defense officialized on April 2nd, 2007 the launching of work of restoration of the roofs and frontages. This building site will last 48 months. On the whole, the department, which received a check of more than 26 million euros of its insurer, will invest on the period 2007 - 2013,36 million euros. 14 additional million is planned over the period 2013-2016.

At the beginning of 2007, association Lunéville, castle of the Lights enters close to 1M€ of gifts, 3500 givers and nearly 800 members. The collected funds are entrusted to the Foundation of the Inheritance.

External bonds

Site of the ministry for the culture
Lunéville Association, Castle of the Lights

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