Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

Hohenbourg Castle, located in Wingen in Lower Rhine, is a semi-troglodytic building built in the middle of the 13th century. Its exact origin remains unknown, but the first documented occupants are the Puller, also called Puller of Hohenbourg from 1262 onwards. Some seigneuries were shared with Fleckenstein's family, resulting in frequent rivalries. The castle was modernized at the beginning of the 16th century, notably by François de Sickingen, who added defensive elements such as barbacans and a bastion of horse iron artillery, typical of Renaissance military architecture.

The castle was partially destroyed in 1523 and rebuilt in 1542 by François Conrad de Sickingen. A Renaissance gate, dated 1578, bears witness to this period of restoration. The site includes a pentagonal enclosure, seigneurial houses, an inner courtyard, and troglodytic elements such as a well dug into the rock and a room with a door in full hanger. The castle was abandoned during the Thirty Years' War and finally destroyed in 1680 by Montclar. Ranked a historic monument in 1898, it now offers a remarkable panorama of the Vosges du Nord and the Palatinate.

The excavations and works carried out at the end of the 19th century revealed many carved architectural elements, Gothic and Renaissance, carrying the weapons of the Sickingen. Unfortunately, most of these elements were stolen, although old photographs still attest to their existence. The castle is accessible by a path marked from Lembach, crossing forest roads leading to the highest summit of the Vosges du Nord.

The Pullers, from the Fleckensteins, occupied the castle in 1236, before it passed into the hands of the Sickingen by inheritance in 1482. These modernized the castle between 1420 and 1440, then in the 16th century. The artillery bastion, with its thick walls of 3.60 to 4.60 metres, illustrates the evolution of military techniques of the time. The inner courtyard preserves remains of a medieval home, while the northern courtyard houses traces of commons and stables, with fastening rings carved in the rock.

Hohenbourg Castle is an emblematic example of Alsatian defensive architecture, mixing medieval elements and Renaissance adaptations. Its history reflects the conflicts and alliances between noble families in the region, as well as technological developments in the art of war. Today in ruins, there remains a major historical site, classified and protected, attracting heritage and hiking enthusiasts.

External links