Timeline

Heritage classified

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Origin and history

Wœrth Castle, located in the Vosges du Nord Regional Natural Park, has its origins in the early 14th century. In 1307 the Bolanden, ministerial, gave the castle to Frédéric de Kirberg before he was bought in 1308 by John I of Lichtenberg, nephew of the bishops of Strasbourg. A first fortified enclosure, including the medieval tower still visible, was built around 1330 to protect the entrance to the city. The castle, mentioned in family divisions in 1335 and 1360, suffered destruction during wars before being rebuilt in 1555 by Jacques I of Deux-Ponts-Bitche, marking a transition to the Renaissance style.

In the 16th century, the castle was profoundly reshaped: the main wing, dated 1554-1555, incorporated Renaissance elements like an oriel carved with the arms of Jacques de Deux-Ponts-Bitche and his wife Catherine de Honstein. A secondary wing, slightly anterior, retains a gothic decor. The site also includes cellars (10 rue du Moulin), built in the middle of the 16th century. After the Thirty Years' War, Countess Dorothée-Diane restored the castle in 1668 following a fire. In the 18th century, it passed into the hands of the Hesse-Darmstadt before being sold as a national good during the Revolution.

In the 20th century, Maurice Trautmann undertook a neo-Renaissance restoration in 1925, adding an exterior staircase and expanding the building. The old cellars become a hostel. Since 1977, the town of Woerth has owned and installed the town hall, social services, and the Battle Museum of 6 August 1870. The castle, partially classified as Historical Monument in 2002, thus illustrates almost seven centuries of Alsatian history, between conflicts, reconstructions and architectural adaptations.

The medieval dungeon, made of sandstone stoneware, with bossed angle chains, retains a characteristic broken arched door. The wings of the 16th and 20th centuries combine crepie facades, sled windows, and neo-Renaissance elements. The ensemble, located 2-10 rue du Moulin, bears witness to the stylistic and functional evolutions of the site, today dedicated to local memory and heritage.

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