My ancestors knew the castle life in Bruyères. There was a lot of foraging on this hill called the castle!
Tradition claims that it was in the 6th century that the hill called the Castle, facing you, was fortified, but no document can attest to this. The estate has been entirely private since the beginning of the 19th century. Access is possible only on the occasion of the European Heritage Days. It is likely that the Duke of Lorraine built the castle during the 10th century, although it is only mentioned in writings in the 12th century. Located at a right angle of the Vologne, it has a strategic position offering it visibility over the entire region.
During the Thirty Years' War, the castle was badly damaged. A decree dating from 1636 ordered the population to dismantle the castle, stone by stone, which would be used as a quarry.
The property was sold in 1776 to Abbot Jean-François Georgel, secretary to Cardinal de Rohan who was involved in the Queen's Necklace affair. He had the hill wooded, the ruins secured and had a magnificent residence with its orangery built at the bottom of the hill.
Today, only a few rare remains remain, well hidden behind the vegetation. Built in local pink sandstone, the keep and a chapel dedicated to Saint-Blaise remain the only witnesses of this building. The castle enclosure has completely disappeared, but the plan drawn up by the archaeologist Hogard in 1822 suggests that it was flanked by at least three towers.
