Photo : Camster2, cropped by Sir Gawain / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Château de Commercy
The Château de Commercy stands in the heart of the town, above the Meuse. A 13th-century fortified castle, remodelled in the 15th century and in the early 17th by Cardinal de Retz, once occupied the hill. The Baroque château was built from 1708 to 1747 for Charles-Henri de Lorraine-Vaudémont, Prince of Commercy, to plans by Léopold Durand, with Nicolas d'Orbay.
Stanisław Leszczyński, former King of Poland, made it one of his favourite residences between 1744 and 1766. On his death, Louis XV ordered it to be abandoned. The site became a cavalry barracks from 1767 to 1927. A fire in August 1944 caused heavy damage; the town bought the ruins in 1957 and restoration was completed in 1977.
The horseshoe-shaped outbuildings, completed by Emmanuel Héré, frame the main courtyard. The façade on the Meuse side rests on a terrace and a monumental staircase. The château now houses the town hall and the media library.
