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Origin and history

Hohenfels Castle is an ancient castle built at the end of the 13th century, around 1300, on a rocky piton difficult to access in the town of Dambach, in the Lower Rhine. It is mentioned for the first time around 1293. This semi-troglodytic castle, built on a sandstone shell separated from the ridge by a dry ditch cut into the rock, was designed to monitor access routes to Lorraine. It had six levels and was probably redesigned in the 15th century.

The castle suffered two major destructions: the first in 1423 by the troops of Strasbourg and Haguenau, and the second in 1525, probably during the Peasant War. Today, only remains remain, including fragments of walls of the lower courtyard, a cistern dug in sandstone, and the north wall of the seigneurial house, preserved on three levels. A troglodytic room and defensive elements, such as a stone shield wall, are still visible.

Hohenfels Castle is the first of Alsace to have been the subject of scientific archaeological excavations in the 20th century. These excavations discovered artifacts, such as fragments of a snave and bullets, now exposed at the Archaeology House of Niederbronn-les-Bains. The site, classified as a historical monument since 1985, is private property but accessible via a marked path from the village of Dambach.

Architecturally, the castle combines built and troglodytic elements, typical of medieval fortifications of the northern Vosges. Its strategic location made it a key checkpoint for the region. The current remains offer a rare testimony of medieval construction and defence techniques in Alsace.

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