MERSCH CASTLE

Situated in the center of the small town, the Château de Mersch has long since lost its ramparts and moat. With its simple, stone, slate-roofed appearance, preceded by a rural forebuilding in the typical pink-red hue, it has undergone numerous restorations over the centuries. Today, it is the first stop in the Vallée des Sept Châteaux. Its construction dates back to the Middle Ages, in 1232, when Theodoric ^I became the founder of the seigneury of Mersch. However, the fortress was stormed by Burgundian troops and burnt down. It was then rebuilt for the first time. In 1304, the first noble family of Mersch died out for want of a male line. Through successive marriages, the seigneury passed into the hands of numerous families: Milberg, Kerpen-Manderscheid, Brandenburg, Feltz, Autel, Mohr von Waldt, Reinach, Sonnenberg. The last noble owners, the Von Sonnenberg-Reinach family, sold the château in 1898 to wholesaler Charles Schwartz-Hallinger. In 1927, it became the property of a bailiff, Pierre Uhres-Fabritius.

In 1957, the commune acquired the château, before selling it back to the state three years later. An exchange contract signed in 1988 enabled the commune to regain ownership. In 1993, following major conversion work, the château became the seat of the municipal administration. Today, it houses the municipality's administrative offices, while the former chapel houses a museum displaying various objects once kept in the château.