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Stanislas, Duke of Lorraine
Commercy, Summer residence of King Stanislas
At the end of the war of succession in Poland, Lorraine and Barrois were ceded for life to Stanislas Leszczynski, deposed king of Poland but also father-in-law of King Louis XV of France. The Dowager Duchess Élisabeth Charlotte of Orléans, widow of Duke Leopold I, obtained the sovereignty of the Principality. She made the Stanislas Château in Commercy her residence until her death in 1744.
The Stanislas Château and its gardens then passed to Stanislas Leszczynski, and are famous for being one of the favourite residences of the ex-King of Poland.
Origin of the Stanislas Château in Commercy
Having left the court to settle in Commercy, the Count of Vaudémont had the future Stanislas Château rebuilt. Assisted by his architects Boffrand and Dorbay, he decided that the new chateau would use the towers and curtain walls of the fortress's exterior enclosure. So the chateau is opposite the Fer à Cheval and opens onto the Rue Neuve.
King Stanislas linked the chateau and the Fer à Cheval by low wings designed by Emmanuel Héré, that separated the old town completely from the royal area.
The chateau was burned down in 1944 after being converted into a barracks, and was then restored from 1957 and opened in 1972.
Source: Commercy area Tourist Office
Stanislas and Commercy is also a story of ... Madeleine
The town of Commercy is the home of the madeleine, invented in the kitchens of the chateau of King Stanislas in the 18th century.
The daughter of Stanislas, Marie Leszczynska, the Queen of France, served them to her guests.
After the death of Stanislas in 1766, one of the pastrycooks settled in his turn in Commercy with the secrets of the madeleine.
Source : Office du tourisme du Pays de Commercy
La madeleine de Commercy
Commercy is a town full of character, and one of the "Most Beautiful Detours in France" group.
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