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Origin and history

Wineck Castle is a historic monument located in Katzenthal, in the Haut-Rhin department, in the Grand Est region. Built probably around 1200, it initially consisted of a stone dungeon surrounded by a palisade and a wooden house. His strategic position on a hill north of the village allowed him to control both Katzenthal and the entrance to the Dorfbach valley. The castle occupied only the south end of the hill, separated from the rest of the top by a ditch cut into the rock.

The first written mention of the castle dates from 1251 when Ulrich de Ferrette made a declaration to the bishop of Strasbourg. However, in 1271 he was still detained by Ferrette's family, who this time handed him over to the bishop of Basel. At the same time, the castle had been occupied since the first half of the 13th century by Wineck's family, which held it in the Ferrettes' fiefdom. During the 13th century, the castle was considerably improved: the palisade and the wooden house were replaced by a enclosure and a stone building, while the dungeon was raised.

When the Ferrettes were extinguished in 1324, the castle passed into the hands of the Habsburgs, which in 1340 entrusted it to the Rathsamhausens after the extinction of Wineck's family. In 1499, the castle was already described as being in ruins. It was acquired in 1864 by the Society for the Conservation of Historic Monuments of Alsace. Since then, it has been listed as historic monuments in 1984, followed by its outer enclosure in 1991.

Architecturally, the castle consists of three parts: the square dungeon, located in the northwest corner of the upper castle, where was also the house, and the lower courtyard, which extends south and southwest. The dungeon, raised in limestone with a boss, was raised twice, the second being visible thanks to the use of a sandstone chaining. Unlike typical Alsatian castles, the Wineck dungeon seems to have been inhabited, as evidenced by comfort elements such as latrines and perhaps a stove.

The castle is established on a granite rocky spur, surrounded by vineyards, and does not dominate water courses or important roads. The 20.78-metre high dungeon features an almost square plan and retains traces of its medieval use, such as a high arched door and a latrine on the third floor. The site also includes a double enclosure, a ditch cut into the rock, and the remains of a massif at the east entrance. A geminied Romanesque window, found in the cistern, is now exposed inside the dungeon.

After losing its strategic interest, the castle was abandoned in the middle of the 15th century, probably after a fire. It remained in ruins until its acquisition by the Société pour la conservation des monuments historiques d'Alsace in 1864. Since 1972, restoration works have been carried out by the Society of Friends of the Wineck, allowing to preserve this testimony of the Alsatian medieval castral architecture.

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