CHÂTEAU BARRABINO

Barrabino Castle, in Baroque style, was built in 1717. It was bought and transformed by the Duke of Deux-Ponts for his wife, Marianne de Forbach, around 1756. From 1775 onwards, she maintained a real courtyard there. Among her acquaintances were Diderot, Grimm and the Chevalier von Gluck. She also made the acquaintance of Benjamin Franklin, a scientist and American ambassador, to whom she offered a cane with a golden knob in the shape of a Phrygian cap, which was later inherited by President Washington. In the castle is now the Tourist Office as well as various associations.