Gombervaux Castle

Gombervaux Castle, locally known as Château de Gombervaux, lies in the countryside north of the town of Vaucouleurs, in the Meuse department in France.

It is said that Gombervaux Castle was preceded by a castle built by the legendary Four Sons of Aymon or a hunting lodge of Charlemagne.

Gombervaux Castle was built between 1338 and 1357 by the knight Geoffroy de Nancy, who had gotten the fief from Philip VI of France. It served as a border post for the Duchy of Lorraine.

Already in 1363 the castle was besieged for 6 days by Count Henri V de Vaudémont with the help of English soldiers.

In 1367 a big banquet, prepared by Taillevent, was held in Gombervaux Castle in honor of the signing of the Treaty of Vaucouleurs between the Dukes of Lorraine and Bar and Charles V of France, who was accompanied by Bertrand du Guesclin. From then on the castle fell under the French Crown.

In 1617 the castle was occupied by insurgents who had risen up against Marie de' Medici, Queen of France. It was then besieged by the people of Vaucouleurs and finally taken after 13 days. In 1639 plans were made to demolish the castle to prevent it from falling into the hands of the Duke of Lorraine, but these were not carried out.

In 1660 the Lord of Gombervaux, Gabriel de Myon, was rewarded for his loyal service in the army by Louis XIV of France and his fief became a barony.

After 1768 Gombervaux Castle no longer was the residence of a nobleman. It was maintained by farmers. This lasted until 1843 when it was finally sold to local landowners. They started to use the castle as a quarry for cheap building materials.

At present Gombervaux Castle is managed by the Association Gombervaux and can be visited for a fee during the summer months. The association is aiming to (partly) rebuild the castle. A great castle ruin!

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