The best traffic-free bike rides around Montoy-Flanville

Two farms were located on the old path between Metz and Peltre, the Haute Bévoye and the Basse Bévoye. The Haute Bévoye, on a hill, is a fortified farm documented from the early 14th century. In 1404, it belonged to "Jehan Xaippey", i.e. Jean de Raigecourt, known as Xappel; 12 cattle and 8 horses were raised there at the time. In addition to an 18th-century dwelling and farm buildings, the layout of the medieval castle remains legible, with four rectangular wings surrounded by a moat; two wings and three towers recall the initial state. https://melodi.univ-lorraine.fr/s/projet-cite-de-metz/item/2973

Memorial to the fallen of the two world wars 🕊️

The origin of “Pont-à-Domangeville is lost in the mists of time. The Roman road from Metz to the Rhine already passed through there. Under the old regime, it was a tiny separate lordship, with a toll bridge. Usually blocked and padlocked, to cross it you had to pay a fee, depending on the livestock and products passed through. The lordship belonged in the 13th century to the Saint-Vincent de Metz abbey, then to the successive lords of Domangeville; in 1716, to the Laubrussels, then to the Leuryses, finally to the Thomas de Pange. It included, in addition to the bridge, the road - 50 toises on this side, 18 beyond - the bed of the Nied on both sides and, on the south-east bank, land with a hostelry (current Mayot farm) . In 1789, the community of Bazoncourt declared in its list of grievances “the enlightenment of the State and the kindness of the King will undoubtedly eliminate a right of final injustice perceived at Pont-à-Domangeville. However poor a plowman he may be, he pays three does and several pay without passing through.” After the revolution, the bridge had to be repaired. Paradoxically, the general council had the expenditure entered in the 1814 and 1815 rolls of the localities which had subscribed to the bridge in 1766. On this ordeal is inscribed: “This monument of our redemption was erected by the care of MM. De Pange, de Courten, Devaux and Dauphin, Commissioners responsible for the reconstruction of this bridge, in the year of our Lord 1816. During the reconstruction work and near the bridge, Joseph GRANDIDIER de Hernicourt and François ANIEL perished in the waters on July 20 from Domangeville, both attached to the service of the neighboring farm »

Two people died during the reconstruction of the bridge over the Nied Française in Domangeville in 1816.

This old wayside cross from the 19th century is located just after the village of Hayes on the way to Metz

The castle used to be a breathtaking gem and lived up to its purpose - a kind of architectural resistance against the German occupation. It is currently completely run down and is more reminiscent of a lost place. Apparently it was sold in 2021 to a Nancy-based company that wants to refurbish it (along with the chapel) and develop it into residential and commercial units. As of now (June 2023) not much seems to have happened.

Erected in 1905, the Château de Mercy was built in response to the architectural shift in the region under German occupation. It is thus possible to admire its clearly French style.

This typical castle of classicism was built in the 18th century. Property of the Pange family, it is entrusted to an association responsible for making it a house of arts, encounters and cultures. Besides the building, the gardens are also splendid. More information is available on the chateau website: http://www.chateaudepange.fr/.