Mussy Castle

Mussy Castle, locally known as Château de Mussy, lies in a small forest on a rocky spur west of the town of Longuyon, in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in France.

Mussy Castle was first mentioned in 1144. In 1160 it was ceded to the bishop of Verdun by the archbishop of Trier.

In 1311 the people of Verdun rebelled against their bishop; Nicolas de Neuville. The bishop called in the help of Pierre de Bar, Lord of Pierre-Fort, granting him, in advance, the possession of Mussy Castle for his help. But as soon as Pierre got hold of the castle he betrayed the bishop. Later the castle went to the Dukes of Bar, heirs of the Lords of Pierre-Fort.

Mussy Castle was taken by the people from the city of Metz in 1368. Later the castle was rebuilt again by Robert, Duke of Bar.

In 1472 the castle was burned down by Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy. It was damaged so severely that René of Anjou, who had inherited the Duchy of Bar, didn't bother to rebuilt it. Mussy Castle remained a ruin for the next nearly two centuries.

In 1651 Mussy Castle was finally rebuilt again and fell under the Duchy of Lorraine. The next years it was fruitlessly attacked several times, only to be taken by French troops through a ruse in 1663. The French however could not garrison it and the castle stood empty again. In 1670 the French troops of Louis XIV returned and this time destroyed the castle for good. In later centuries the castle ruins became a quarry for cheap building materials for the locals.

The ruin of Mussy Castle is freely accessible although maybe a bit hard to find. It will take a walk of about 15 minutes through the woods. Even though the remains, which lack much architectural detail, are overgrown, you can still see some large portions of walls. A nice ruin.

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