Hôtel de Heu, private mansion in Metz, France

The Hôtel de Heu is a protected historical mansion in Metz built in the late 15th century by the prosperous merchant family of Heu. The structure features stone construction with pointed-arch windows and an internal spiral staircase that remains standing today.

The cellars under the Hôtel de Heu were built before the house above them: dendrochronology of their beams gives 1323, making them older than the Palais des Treize (1315-1317). Thiébaut de Heu (1245-1330), a merchant of the paraige du Commun and creditor of Duke Ferry IV of Lorraine, who pledged part of his treasure including the ducal crown in 1322, built the mansion around 1323. He died in 1330 and was buried in the cloister of the Frères Prêcheurs.

The name comes from the Heu family, itinerant merchants from Huy who settled in Metz around 1230-1240. Thiébaut de Heu, a member of the paraige du Commun and city treasurer, entered the Council of Thirteen in 1302 and became maître-échevin in 1314. The mansion also served as lodgings for his family, guests and trading partners, with granaries, stables, a garden and a courtyard.

The property is located on Rue de la Fontaine and can be viewed from outside free of charge, with accessible entry. Visitors should know that interior visits are not regularly available to the public and the building is best appreciated from the street.

Archaeological investigation in 2021 revealed that the basement vault predates the upper structure and originates from 1323, long before the Heu family built the house above. This suggests Thiébaut de Heu constructed his mansion on top of an earlier foundation.