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History of the castle
1084 - The origins of the Château de Thanvillé
The first traces of the Château de Thanvillé in the archives date back to 1084 when a large-scale construction site began in Thanvillé.
At that time a succession battle raged between Thierry of Lorraine, first hereditary Duke of the House of Lorraine, and the son of Louis de Montion and Sophie de Bar; Thierry of Lorraine emerged victorious, and his most loyal supporter Hugo of Eguisheim undertook the construction of a fortress on the lands of the current Château, then belonging to the Abbey of Moyenmoutier.
This fortress watches over the entrance to the valley and serves as a trading post due to its strategic position on the salt route.
Hugo d'Eguisheim met a tragic end.
A victim of a conflict between Pope Gregory and the German Emperor Henry IV, he was assassinated in the bishopric of Strasbourg without leaving an heir. The Hattstatts, a noble Alsatian family who supported Emperor Henry IV, then took possession of the castle.
At the end of his life, in 1104, Emperor Henry IV rewarded the family's devotion to him by offering them the lordship of Thanvillé... unless it was a vulgar fake!
Then? Thanvillé Castle disappeared from the registers for four long centuries.
Thierry of Lorraine
1507 - The Castle resurfaces
After more than 400 years of absence from the records, the Château reappears.
In 1507, when the castle was in ruins following past wars, major renovation work was undertaken by the current owner of the place, Jean de Hattstatt.
In 1518, he managed to have his family's rights to the lordship of Thanvillé confirmed.
In 1540, Jean de Vidrange, advisor to Duke Antoine of Lorraine, was entrusted with the Château, but in 1571 a terrible fire ravaged the village and the Château de Thanvillé, destroying all the archives in the process.
In 1572, the ruins of the Château were sold to Jean-Friedrich de Worms; he financed its reconstruction, expanded the lordship of Thanvillé, and ruled the estate with an iron fist.
Jean-Friedrich of Worms
1633 - The setbacks continue
At the beginning of the 17th century, the Thirty Years' War raged.
While the Château belonged to François-Guillaume Friedrich de Thanvillé, it was looted and then burned down by the Swedes . His descendant, François-Anne de Bazin de Chanlas, sold his mansion in Sélestat in 1663 to finance the reconstruction of the Château de Thanvillé.
Unfortunately, in 1680, he was forced to cede the lordship to his five sons, who divided up the estate. One of them, Henry-François de Bazin de Thanvillé, sold the Château to Marie-Agnès de Cocqfontaine, along with the seigneurial rights.
Gustav II of Sweden
1688 - The beginning of the revival
Marie-Agnès de Cocqfontaine acquired the Château in 1688. It marked the beginning of a new era for the residence. Her troubles were not over, but this purchase marked the beginning of a new life for the Château.
The intelligent and energetic "Lady of Thanvillé" methodically strives to restore the lordship of yesteryear. She rules the Château and its estate alone and with an iron fist. In 1694, she had the "Thanvillé Land Rights" drawn up. Committed to the notion of justice, the owner of the property is also known for much less serious lawsuits concerning pigs eating acorns on the wrong land, or even infringements of the right to hunt hares on her land. Through her stubbornness, Thanvillé became a parish in 1716; the Château chapel was consecrated in 1717.
Madame de Cocqfontaine died in 1741. Her son-in-law, Frédéric de Lort de Saint-Victor, passed the estate on to his son, Charles-Frédéric. He carried out extensive renovations to the château, transforming it into a pleasant residence. His name also goes down in history for having imposed compulsory education for all children on the estate from the age of 7.
1786 - The last lord of Thanvillé
In 1786, Charles-Frédéric sold the lordship to Jean-Félix de Dartein, an industrial artillery founder in Strasbourg.
Two years later, in 1788, his son Charles-Mathieu-Sylvestre became the last lord of Thanvillé. He did not flee France during the Revolution, thus preserving his assets, including the Château de Thanvillé.
In 1810, upon the death of her father, Adélaïde de Dartein inherited the estate. She married Baron Bertrand-Pierre de Castex, opening a new chapter in the Château's history: the De Castex dynasty.
1856 - The De Castex dynasty
Upon the death of his mother, Théodore de Castex inherited the Château.
He was heavily involved in political life, improved local agriculture, and, above all, restored and embellished the Château, decorating it with numerous works of art. During the Second Empire, it was one of the most beautiful residences in Alsace.
Unfortunately, war quickly returned. During the "Battle of Thanvillé," German troops sacked the Château. From 1896, Bertrand-Maurice De Castex, Théodore's son, continued his father's work, continuing to restore the Château and investing in painting. He also took a keen interest in the history of the place, writing in 1886 the "History of the Lorraine Lordship of Thanvillé in Alsace."
In 1918, history repeated itself; the First World War left the Château in a pitiful state. Bertrand-Maurice, and then his son Gérard de Castex, courageously took over the restoration of the Château.
1982 - The Modern Era
In 1979 Maurice De Castex inherited the estate; he carried out the steps which led to the registration of the Château de Thanvillé on the list of Historic Monuments in 1989.
In 1982, Maurice de Castex sold the estate to the Wagner family. Renovation work accelerated but is still ongoing.
