Lunéville Castle
Built in 1702 for the Duke of Lorraine Leopold Ier, the Château de Lunéville is inspired by the palace of Louis XIV. It owes its nickname to it: “the little Versailles of Lorraine”.
Wanting to get away from Nancy, then occupied by the French army, Leopold Ier decided to retire with his court to Lunéville and raise the city to the rank of capital. On the foundations of an old castle, he had the house transformed into a princely residence. This was built by Germain Boffrand, a pupil of Jules Hardouin-Mansart, and required nearly twenty years of work.
Lunéville Castle was then occupied by Leopold I's successorer : Stanislas Leszczynski, former King of Poland who became Duke of Lorraine thanks to the marriage of his daughter, Marie Leszczynska, to Louis XV. Representing French classicism, it is considered one of the most beautiful and largest architectural ensembles of the 18th century.e century.
In 2003, the castle suffered a fire: the following decades were marked by long periods of work – which are gradually being completed – to rebuild it.
