Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

Kagenfels Castle, also known as Kaguenfels or Kagenburg, is a ruins castle built in the 13th century. It stands in the undivided forest of Obernai and Bernardswiller, on the town of Ottrott, in the Lower Rhine. His name comes from his founder, Albrecht Kage, an episcopal minister of Bishop Walter von Geroldseck, who raised him during the Grand Interregne in 1262. This strategic site, located in the Greater East, was a place of power and conflict for centuries.

The castle changed hands several times, passing from the nobles of Hohenstein to the Utenheim and Ramstein families, before being ceded to Lucas Wischbech. He was besieged four times, in 1383, 1390, 1397 and 1424, and suffered a fire in 1406 caused by the neglect of garnishers. In the 15th century, a major redevelopment project was undertaken, requiring even the construction of a sawmill. In 1563 the town of Obernai became its owner, before it was abandoned in the early seventeenth century.

Archaeological excavations revealed pellets, testimonies of the many seats suffered, as well as an altar stone. Since 2000, the Association for the Conservation of Obernois Heritage has been working to consolidate it. The site, rich in history, is today an emblematic vestige of the Alsatian castles, studied by historians such as Mathias Heissler and Charles-Laurent Salch.

Kagenfels Castle is close to Birkenfels Castle, with which it shares a history related to the Obernai Forest. These two buildings illustrate the strategic importance of this border region in the Middle Ages, marked by frequent conflicts and a fluctuating noble occupation. Recent works, such as those documented by Gilbert Keller and Daniel Millius, provide a better understanding of its architecture and evolution.

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