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  3. Grand-Est
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  5. 67220 Urbeis

  6. Bilstein Castle

 Bilstein Castle à Urbeis dans le Bas-Rhin

Patrimoine classé
Patrimoine défensif
Demeure seigneuriale
Château fort
Bas-Rhin

Bilstein Castle

    6 Rue du Gravier
    67220 Urbeis
Château Bilstein
Château Bilstein
Château Bilstein
Château Bilstein
Château Bilstein
Château Bilstein
Château Bilstein
Château Bilstein
Château Bilstein
Crédit photo : Bernard Chenal - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

Moyen Âge central
Bas Moyen Âge
Renaissance
Temps modernes
Révolution/Empire
XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
1200
1300
1400
1500
1600
…
1900
2000
1206
First written entry
1310
Castle Division
fin XIIe – début XIIIe siècle
Initial construction
1477
Strasbourg Headquarters
1543
Abandonment and ruins
1898 et 1930
Historical monuments
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

Bilstein Castle (ruins): by order of 6 December 1898

Key figures

Hans Marx d’Eckwersheim - Lord and jailer Captured the Count of Nassau in 1477.
Engelbert II de Nassau - Famous prisoner Locked in Bilstein after the Battle of Nancy.
Thiébaud Ier de Lorraine - Duke and owner Received the castle in dowry in 1215.
Rodolphe de Habsbourg - King of the Romans Acquitted the castle by marriage (1250–1254).
Émile Wagner - Local historian Studyed and described the castle in the 19th century.
Théodore Nartz - Abbé and columnist Author of a reference book on the Val de Villé (1887).

Origin and history

Bilstein Castle, also known as Bilstein-Urbeis or Bilstein Lorrain, is an Alsatian castle probably built in the early 13th century on a hill in the valley of Villé, near the village of Urbeis. It served as both a seigneurial residence, a fortress defending the Alsace-Lorraine axis, and protection for the surrounding mines. Its architecture marks a turning point in feudal constructions, with a square dungeon protecting a seigneurial house on two levels.

The castle changed hands several times: attributed to the Habsburgs in the 13th century, divided in 1310 between the latter, the bishop of Strasbourg and the Margrave of Baden, then partially sold or ceded in fief. In 1477, he was besieged by Strasbourg to release Count Engelbert II of Nassau, captured by Hans Marx of Eckwersheim after the Battle of Nancy. The Strasbourg cannons, including the famous Struss, severely damaged the fortress, leading to its surrender.

By the 16th century, the castle was in ruins, serving as a quarry to build the Urbeis church in 1789. Ranked Historic Monument in 1898 and 1930, it was consolidated in 1964 and 1995. Today, only remains of the seigneurial house (XIII century) and dungeon (XII century), as well as a round tank dug into the rock. His story is related to legends, such as Hans Marx's curse, and local mining (silver, copper, galena).

The site, freely accessible, offers a panorama of the valley and bears witness to the medieval conflicts between local lords, free cities like Strasbourg, and regional powers (Lorraine, Habsburg). The excavations and surveys (XIX-20th centuries) allowed a better understanding of its spatial organization, despite the absence of a significant low-yard.

The castle is inextricably linked to the Urbeis Pass, a strategic route since antiquity, and neighbouring mines, such as the Theophile mine (16th century), exploited for its metalliferous resources. Its decline is explained by its gradual abandonment after the Thirty Years' War and its use as a career, especially during the French Revolution.

External links

Page Wikipedia
Page Monumentum