On January 2^nd 2003, a violent accidental fire destroyed the southern wing of Lun�ville castle. Built at the beginning of the XVIIIth century by L�opold 1er, Duke of Lorraine, it was to become the home of a brilliant European court both under the Duke�s reign an that of Stanislas Leszczynski.

The fire and the simultaneous collapse of the framework seriously damaged the chapel, the drawing romms and the ducal apartments. The museum given the label �Museum of France� and the collections it boasted were totally destroyed.

The damage was estimated at more than 100 million euros.

The incident was a shock to the people of Lun�ville and all over France. Standing sturdy in the hearth of the town, the ruined castle was a reflection of the town�s history and that of many Lunevillians, and this immediately created an exceptional wave of solidarity.

The association �Lun�ville, Castle of Lights� was rapidly created to mobilize people and to set up, in connection with the Fondation du Patrimoine, a national organization which today has more than 3800 donators. A club of sponsors and a particularly active club of partners also managed to attract many companies.

Works began on April 2^nd, 2005 with the restoration of the hall  and the main staircase. The re-building of the roofs and frontages is underway. It will take 48 months. Gradually, the gigantic 3000 m� umbrella which covers the building will be removed.

The total reconstruction(the shell of the building, decorations) under the supervision of the chief architect for historic buildings, is estimated to take 10 years.

The disaster area is the property of the state (60%) and of the Meurthe et Moselle department (40%).

It is currently the largest patrimonial building site in Europe.  Il will involve the work of many specialists in art whose special skills will be brought to the fore during the reconstruction and an educational approach will be taken by using the site as a centre for training sessions.

At the same time, the department will undertake the restoration of the other buildings as well as the gardens which cover more than 50 acres.

The quality of the cultural programming set up by the department and the intense mobilization of forces organized by the association around the building site, the rebuilding and restoration support accompanies and gives rhythm to this great historical challenge. This exemplary building site should be used as a model example, as was Brittany Parliament in Rennes, to contribute to the prevention and the management of cultural heritage catastrophes.