The Domaine de Montaigu is a large park which straddles the boundary between the towns of Jarville-la-Malgrange and Laneuveville-devant-Nancy. It includes the Museum of the History of Iron aka Le Féru des sciences at the Jarville end (northwest), and the Château de Montaigu at the Laneuveville end (southeast).

Château de Montaigu

The Château de Montaigu was built in 1757-1758 to the specifications of a man called Bon Prévost, who had become very wealthy by virtue of his position as Receveur Général des Fermes de Lorraine, meaning that he was the chief tax collector for the last Duke of Lorraine, Stanislas Leszczynski (1677-1766).

Confusingly, Bon Prévost is identified on an official website as “Don Prévost”, but this is certainly a mistake or a typo. He was not Spanish, and his name was not Donald. His first name really was Bon — a name that is quite rare but not completely unknown.

After the death of Bon Prévost, the Château de Montaigu changed owners several times. In 1856, someone called the Marquis de Vaugirard bought the Château and later had it expanded and re-built to look somewhat more like a castle.

The last private owner of the Château was a forge master and archeologist named Édouard Salin (1889-1970), who lived there with his wife for fifty years starting in 1920. In their will, the Salins bequeathed the Château and its furnishings to the city of Nancy.

Up to now, the Château has been open to the public only on special occasions, such as the European Heritage days in September, but now there are plans to open it every weekend (Saturdays and Sundays from 10 to 12 and 14 to 17) starting in the spring of 2023.

Baroque sculpture

The baroque sculptures around the Château de Montaigu are not in very good condition, having been exposed to the elements for three or four centuries, but they seem to be authentic.

My photos in this post are from 2015. I revised the text in 2023.

See also: Jarville-la-Malgrange and Laneuveville-devant-Nancy.