Château de Villette

The fortified house of Villette, acquired by Dauwars Ferron in 1399, was destroyed in 1552 during the sacking of La Villette by Martin Van Rossum's troops. Rebuilt from 1586 by the De Warigny-D'Aguisy family, it became a château de plaisance in the 18th century under Jean-François Maucomble, who gave it its present form by enlarging the façade and laying out a garden. During the French Revolution, the château secretly housed Nicolas Philbert, constitutional bishop of Sedan, who died there in 1797. When Sedan was surrendered in 1870, the grounds were used as a camp for 83,000 prisoners and 70,000 horses, as described by Émile Zola in La Débâcle. After years of neglect, the building was restored and listed as a historic monument in 1996.