Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

Reinach Castle, located in Hirtzbach in the Upper Rhine, is an emblematic building of the Grand East region, built in two major phases: the first half of the 18th century and the first quarter of the 19th century. It belongs to the Reinach family since the 14th century, although the present building succeeds several earlier buildings, including a 15th century plain castle surrounded by moat, then Austrian fief owned by the Schweighouse Hack. After going to the Reinach by marriage in the 16th century, it was probably remodelled in the 17th century before being rebuilt in the early 18th century for François Joseph de Reinach-Hirtzbach and Anne Marie de Sickingen, with a housing body on one floor and wings in return. A second floor was added around 1780, followed by a restoration under the Empire in 1804.

The castle is distinguished by its masonry architecture, with crossette windows and an apparent stone forebody for the terrace. Its park, originally designed in English at the beginning of the 19th century by Charles de Reinach, was simplified into a French garden with a unique polyhedron sundial, with 26 sides indicating local time. This 18th century dial is a scientific rarity. The estate also includes a cooler, chalets inspired by Swiss models, and agricultural outbuildings of the 18th and 19th centuries. Partially classified as historical monuments (façades, roofs, sundial) in 2000 and inscribed in 1990, the castle and its garden, opened to the commune since 1982, bear witness to the Alsatian aristocratic heritage.

Historical sources mention a baronal shield of 1635 above a door, as well as construction contracts signed in 1724 with master masons of Délémont, Jean-Baptiste Mathée and Charles Feune. The castle underwent modifications in the 19th century, such as the addition of a tower destroyed in 1926, and an earlier terrace around 1911. The farm buildings, located to the north, include stables, stables and a house, reflecting the traditional seigneurial organization. Although the castle is not accessible to visitors during the last surveys, its park and protected features make it a major heritage site of the Upper Rhine.

External links