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Origin and history

Loewenstein Castle, located in Wingen, Lower Rhine, is a semi-troglodytic castle built in the 12th century. Divided into two distinct parts, it once belonged to different lords. Today, only a few remains remain, including a tank dug into the rock. The site has been classified as historical monuments since December 1898.

The castle was allegedly built by the lords of Fleckenstein and was first mentioned in the 13th century as a fief of Wolfram von Löwenstein, a lord of the Holy Roman Empire. In 1283 he was granted to Johann Ochsenstein by Rodolphe I of Habsburg. In 1380, the castle was divided between Hensel Streif von Landenberg and Johannes I of Bitche, but was destroyed in 1386 by the imperial vicar Johann de Lichtenberg because of his occupation by robber knights.

The ruins of the castle change several times over the centuries: the Counts of Deux-Ponts-Bitche (1485), the Counts of Hanau-Lichtenberg (1570), then the Landgraviat of Hesse-Darmstadt (1736). In 1676-1677, the French troops of General Monclar completed his destruction. The castle is also known as Lindenschmidt, a name linked to the legend of the brigand knight Linkenschmidt, known to tie his horses upside down to blur the tracks.

According to archaeological sources, the castle was built on a 70-metre-long rocky spur, with a pentagonal dungeon, a house, a lower courtyard, and tanks. A transversal passage dug into the rock made it possible to connect the two parts of the castle. Current remains include traces of housing structures, humpstones, and a square tank.

Loewenstein Castle is accessible via a trail marked from Lembach, along the forest road to the Gimbelhof, then the Vosges Club trail marked with white pellets surrounded by red. The site, although little preserved, offers a testimony of the medieval Alsatian castral architecture and feudal conflicts of the era.

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