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Origin and history

Hohenack Castle, located in Labaroche in the Upper Rhine, is a fortress named after Hohen Acker ("top field"). Perched at 927 m above sea level on the Petit-Hohnack, it is the second highest castle in Alsace after the Freundstein. Its origin dates back at least to the 11th century, mentioned in 1079 as the property of the Counts of Eguisheim, then passed into the hands of Ferrette and Ribeaupierre, who became the final owners in 1437 under the suzerainety of the Habsburgs.

In the 12th century, the castle consists of a polygonal enclosure with a square dungeon, a seigneurial house and outbuildings, without flanking towers. From the end of the 15th century, it was modernized to resist firearms: three quadrangular bastions, a semicircular bastion and a barbacan were added. The use of boss stones, typical of its architecture, marks the successive modifications. A chapel, probably located in the eastern round tower, is attested by an altar dedicated to the Virgin founded in 1325.

During the Thirty Years' War, the castle was occupied by a French garrison from 1635 to 1654, before being dismantled by order of Louis XIV in 1655. His stones then serve as a quarry. Sold as national property during the Revolution, the ruins were ceded in 1886 to the Society for the Conservation of Historic Monuments of Alsace by the Golbéry family. Since 1980, extensive restoration works (consolidation of the walls, reconstruction of the barbacan) have preserved this site, now owned by the municipality of Labaroche.

Ranked as a Historic Monument by order of 19 August 1905, the castle retains remarkable remains: a square dungeon made of stony stone, flanking towers, and a well carved from the rock. Bombs dating from the late 14th or early 15th century were found there, testifying to its military role. The plan of 1655 and an elevation of the north wall, including a campanile on the east tower, confirm the presence of a chapel integrated into the defences.

Originally the seat of a seigneury encompassing the villages of Val d'Orbey, Hohenack Castle illustrates the evolution of medieval fortifications in Alsace, between feudal power, military adaptations and preserved heritage. Its history reflects regional conflicts, from seigneurial rivalries to royal dismantlings to revolutionary spoliations.

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