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Origin and history

The old castle of Dachstein, also called the castle of the bishops of Strasbourg, was originally built in 1214 by Henry II of Veringen, bishop of Strasbourg. Located in the heart of the episcopal possessions of the Vosges Piedmont, it served both as a military base and as a residence for the bishops. Its strategic location made it a key place for regional conflicts, particularly during Strasbourg revolts or religious wars.

In 1262 Bishop Walter de Hohengeroldseck, expelled from Strasbourg by the revolted bourgeois, organized his counter-offensive there before being besieged and defeated. The castle, burned down, was rebuilt in 1278 by Conrad de Lichtenberg. Over the centuries, he received several seats (1421 by the Strasbourgs, 1439 by the Armagnacs) and changed hands, as in 1410 when he was hired to the Mullenheim-Brantgasse.

Between 1574 and 1589 Bishop Frédéric de Blankenheim-Manderscheidt undertook important work, erecting a Renaissance castle in the medieval lower court. This new house, marked by an inscription of 1572 on the staircase turret, became the episcopal residence until 1718. The site, however, was the scene of numerous conflicts: the bishops' war (1592), attacks of the Protestant league (1610), Swedish occupation (1633), and taken by the French troops of Vaubrun in 1675, which razed the former medieval castle.

In the 18th century, the cardinal of Rohan-Soubise offered the fief to his baili François Antoine Herrenberger (1718), then the estate passed to Natalis de Régemorte in 1769. After the Revolution in 1803 the episcopal castle was acquired by Adrien Brunck of Freundeck. In 1865, Édouard de Turckheim entrusted the architect Eugène Dock with a major neo-Renaissance transformation: expansion of the house, addition of a door decorated with coat of arms (1869-1872), and beautification of the park with elements such as a well signed Ruscher de Molsheim.

Today's architecture blends medieval remains (round towers, moat) with Renaissance Castle and its 19th century additions. The polygonal staircase turret, dating from 1572, retains an original inscription, while the neo-Renaissance facades, the 19th century skylights and outbuildings illustrate the adaptation of the site to romantic tastes. The estate, which has been listed as a historical monument since 2002, also includes a park with trees and elements of fortification such as a Pigeon Tower.

The castle embodies almost nine centuries of Alsatian history, from its role as episcopal fortress to its metamorphosis into aristocratic residence. Its transformations reflect political upheavals (religious conflicts, French annexations) and architectural developments, while preserving tangible traces of each era, such as the coat of arms of the bishops Jean de Manderscheid or Guillaume de Honstein.

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