Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The castle of Bitche-le-Vieux, or Alt-Bitsch, stands on the Schlossberg, a hill that peaks at 400 meters in the massif of the Vosges du Nord, north of the village of Lemberg (Moselle). This site, often associated with a second nearby hill (416 m), houses neolithic remains like polished stones, attesting to an ancient human occupation. The castle was first cited in 1172 as Bytis castrum, later named after the seigneury and the town of Bitche.

According to the sources, Count Eberhard de Deux-Ponts (died 1321) founded a second castle on the current Bitche rock, marking the gradual decline of Bitche-le-Vieux. The site, surrounded by such evocative places (Schlossthal, Schlossweiher), preserves traces of its strategic past, such as the Saint-Hubert spring at the foot of Schlossberg. These elements underline its historic role in the region.

The Schlossberg and its surroundings, including passes and valleys, form a landscape marked by medieval and prehistoric history. The archaeological remains and toponyms (col of the two Schlossbergs, castle pond) recall the defensive and symbolic importance of this castle, now disappeared but anchored in the local memory.

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