COMMUNE DE CHATEAU-SALINS

Château-Salins, this peaceful sub-prefecture, owes its name to the salt springs discovered at the beginning of the 16th century, which were exploited until 1826, and to the fortified castle that the Duke of Lorraine, Raoul, immediately built to protect them (1327). The bishops of Metz, who also wanted to exploit this wealth, had a second castle built a short distance away, called Beaurepaire. Conflicts between the two lords did not fail and finally, the Bishops' Castle disappeared towards the end of the 14th century. Located east of the current Place des Salines, the ducal fortress remained largely intact until the beginning of the 19th century. The saltworks (not open to the public), located in the center of the town, operated until 1826 as a state-owned saltworks. In 1894, a more modern exploitation resumed, south of the city, to stop definitively in 1940. The Aux Salines site was transformed into an open air base. The town, whose population was expelled in 1940, was 80% devastated during the Second World War. Around the pond, it offers many leisure activities (mountain biking, tennis, walks). More than twenty kilometers of hiking trails are marked out: the departure is south of the village, from the gîte d'étape (on the site of the ducal and royal salt works).