Darney Castle

Darney Castle

The city is nicknamed the "city of thirty towers" and becomes an important military center.

The town was destroyed in the Middle Ages, dismantled in 1634, ravaged by the Franco-Swedish troops of Bernard of Saxe-Weimar during the Thirty Years' War, and the castle was razed to the ground in 1639.

In 1725, the municipality of Darney decided to build a new building to house the new provostship on the foundations of a ruined castle. The architects of the time took inspiration from the plans of the old keep, building a spiral staircase in a turret attached to the building. A large auditorium was installed on the second floor, decorated with the coats of arms of the families of glassmakers who came from Bohemia to settle in the forest of Darney in^{the 14th century}, bringing with them the secrets of their industry. A few remains of the original castle can still be seen on the lower floor.

The castle served as the town hall in the^19thand^20thcenturies. Currently, it is located in the former Récollets convent.

Following the gathering of Czech and Slovak volunteers in Darney during World War I, and following France's official recognition of the Czechoslovak National Council in June 1918, also in Darney, a Czechoslovak museum was created in the castle in 1938 by Mayor André Barbier. The building was listed as a historic monument on December 28, 1984 (castle and ramparts).

A museum dedicated to the singer Damiawas added in 2018.

Source: Wikipedia