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Origin and history

The Morimont Castle, also known as Burg Mörsberg, is an ancient castle built in the 12th century, then profoundly transformed in the 15th and 16th centuries. Its remains, classified as historical monuments since 1841, stand on a hill at 522 m above sea level on the town of Oberlarg (Haut-Rhin), near the Swiss border. The site, strategic between Basel and Mulhouse, illustrates Alsatian military architecture adapted to artillery, with early Renaissance elements for the region.

Mentioned for the first time in 1183, the castle was attested in 1271 when the Count of Ferrette donated it to the bishop of Basel. It then passed under the domination of the Habsburgs, like the nearby castles of Ferrette and Landskron. Destroyed by the earthquake in Basel in 1356, it was rebuilt by the Morimont family, vassal of Ferrettes, which adapted it to firearms. Pierre de Morimont, emblematic lord, marks this transformation. After financial difficulties, the family sold the castle in 1582 to the Counts of Ortenbourg-Salamanca.

During the Thirty Years War (1618–48), the castle was occupied by the Swedes in 1632, then destroyed by the French in 1635. Louis XIV donated it in 1641 to Vignacourt's family, which kept it until the Revolution. Confiscated as a national property in 1792, he changed hands several times before being acquired in 1870 by the Viellard family, still owner today. The site, used as a stone quarry until 1864, became a political symbol in 1826 when Jurassians took the oath against the Bernese oligarchy, a founding act of the future Republic of Jura (Switzerland).

Architecturally, the castle combines medieval vestiges (the 13th century U-turn) and Renaissance installations, such as the large north lodge of 1552, flanked by artillery towers. The west courtine, with a barbacan and a square tower, protects the entrance. Despite its adaptation to artillery, its dominated position on three sides limits its military value. Restoration campaigns, notably in the 19th century by Auguste Quiquerez and in the 21st century by volunteers, today preserve this heritage.

The Morimont castle embodies the geopolitical stakes of Alsace, between French, Austrian and Swiss influences. Its history reflects religious conflicts (Thirty Years' War), architectural changes (from medieval to Renaissance) and land claims, as evidenced by its role in the creation of the canton of Jura. Ranked among the first French historical monuments in 1841, there remains a place of memory for the Sundgau and Jura.

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