A little history of Pange castle
And also
The tops
Did you know Marie-Louise of Austria, Napoleon I’s second wife, spent several nights in Pangé, in 1812?... The lady came back from the conference of Dresden with the emperor... A pretty royal host for the most beautiful castle in Lorraine!
But our story began in the 14th century, with the Paillat family who raised here a first castle. A fortress destroyed in 1404 by Philip of Nassau. In 1704, a fire damaged it and... its saviour turned up! Jean-Baptiste-Louis Thomas, King’s treasurer...
He owned the land in 1720: 46 years later, duke of Lorraine Stanislas raised Pangé to a marquisate! The brand new marquis immediately re-raised his castle. The building site was completed in 1756. But two of Jean-Baptiste’s sons died during the Revolution...
Louis, La Fayette’s comrade in arms, died at war in Vendée. François, famous French poet André Chénier’s best friend, died from illness... His third son, Jacques, emigrated in 1792. He came back 4 years later. The family kept the castle for a moment, phew...
But in 1948, apartments were damaged because summer camps often came here (the family rent their castle)! Pangé family came back and restored their estate: nowadays we can visit the nice 18th century gardens restored by landscaper Louis Benech in 2002 (he relaid out Tuileries gardens in Paris)...