Bar-le-Duc, Lorraine 55000

A 17th and 18th century stately manor farm in 10 hectares of meadows, at the border between the former Duchy of Bar and France. The estate stands near to a small country road with very little traffic.It is made up of a large complex built around a square courtyard. At the rear of this, there is a monumental barn, a stable, a dovecote with an aviary and a separate 19th century pavilion.The property boasts fruit trees, a vegetable garden, a greenhouse, a cold room, three small ponds that are home to fish and crayfish, as well as open meadows through which a small trout-rich river meanders.This remarkable site was once governed by a Cistercian abbey.At that time, written records already mentioned the presence of a villa and a double millstone mill erected between two ponds. Traces of the foundations still remain.In the 17th century, hemp was grown here. The abundance of water on site made it possible to transform it on the estate. The vines planted here produced a Pinot varietal wine infamous for its inconsistency and mediocre quality.At the start of the 18th century, it belonged to a local lord and the estate was designated a stately manor farm of the high and medium nobility.