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Origin and history

The castle of the Grand Arnsburg, located in the commune of Baerenthal (Moselle, region Grand Est), was built at the beginning of the 12th century by order of Frédéric the Borgne, Duke of Swabia and Alsace. Its objective was to protect the Ducal residence of Haguenau and the old road linking Bitche to Alsace. Placed on a sandstone rock bar in the heart of the Philippsburg State Forest, he exploited a natural ditch to strengthen his defence. Originally owned by the Hunebourgs, landgraves of the Emperor Lothaire, he then passed into the hands of the Sires von Werd, then was sold in 1332 to the Lichtenbergs by Philip d'Öttingen, Landgrave of Lower Alsace.

In the 14th century, major works were carried out, notably on the doors and drawbridges (1352). The castle changed hands several times: divided in 1480 between the Counts of Hanau-Lichtenberg and Deux-Ponts-Bitche, it was partially destroyed in 1525 by the Rustauds, then shaved during the Thirty Years War. Today, only the ruins remain, including an almost intact square dungeon, classified as a historical monument in 1994. Access to the site is prohibited, but its history reflects the conflicts and alliances that have marked the Vosges du Nord.

Architecturally, the castle consisted of a low-yard bounded by walls of enclosure, a dungeon of moat holes, and a seigneurial house built on two rocks separated by a fault. A well cut into the rock and remnants of courtesies testify to its defensive organization. The site, located at 473 meters above sea level, overlooks the Zinsel valley, between Baerenthal and Zinswiller. Its decline is part of that of medieval fortresses, replaced by more modern defence systems after the seventeenth century.

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