Gombervaux Castle

Historical

According to legend, the first castle of Gombervaux was the work of the four sons Aymon, then a hunting lodge of Charlemagne. In 1335-1341, Vaucouleurs became dependent on the King of France. In 1338, Philippe VI of Valois granted the fief of Gombervaux to one of his faithful knights, Geoffroy de NANCY; this one builds the current castle which then becomes border post with Lorraine, vassal of the Holy Roman Empire. Geoffroy becomes castellan of Vaucouleurs, adviser to the king and bailiff of Chaumont, but he commits atrocities and his property is confiscated from him. He recovered Gombervaux in 1356 but he no longer held official office. After his death, the lordship of Gombervaux passed into the hands of the Vernancourt family and then to the Salles who kept it throughout the XVIth century.

In 1617, the great lords of the kingdom rose up against Marie de Medici and her minister Concini; occupied by the insurgents, the castle was liberated by the Valcolorois after thirteen days of siege. In 1769, the lords of Mailliart left Gombervaux for Tusey; the castle of Gombervaux is used as a stone quarry. It was rented and then sold in 1843 to landowners; it then serves as outbuildings for the farm.

The significant deterioration suffered by the castle led to the creation of the Gombervaux Association in 1989: major works have saved dungeons and buildings.

In 1994, the site was classified as a Historic Monument.

Description of the castle

A league from Vaucouleurs, the castle stands in a valley surrounded by its water moats. Of quadrangular plan (52 mx 51 m), it is defended at each angle by a circular tower pierced with arches with stirrups. On the south facade is the porch tower which defended the entrance. The non-flanking keep has a third point arc which hides the stunner and the harrow. This tower, about 22 m high, retained its aliasing.

In the courtyard, there are two asymmetrical houses, one of which rests on an arched room. These curtain walls had small windows and fireplaces, one of which, monumental, is in the great hall or state hall.

The castle is built in two materials: one yellow, a stone resistant to water and erosion and the other, a white limestone, much softer.

The Château de Gombervaux is one of the rare medieval remains in Lorraine that is still well preserved.