Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

Rathsamhausen Castle, located in Ottrott (Bas-Rhin), has its origins in the 11th century with a first wooden construction, replaced after a fire in 1100 by a stone building. The latter was destroyed again around 1250, but a large rectangular dungeon was erected around 1200, accompanied by a enclosure. In the 13th century, the site was divided: a ditch isolated the dungeon, which later took the name of Rathsamhausen (1561), while a second castle, Lutzelburg, was reinforced by a round dungeon and a courtine. The two castles, linked to the Rathsamhausen family after 1392, underwent work in the 14th and 15th centuries (false chalks, barbacan) before being abandoned in the 16th-17th centuries.

The ruins, listed as historical monuments in 1985 (then revised in 2025), reveal a typical defensive architecture: a 12th century quadrangular tower, 13th century cylindrical bergfried, and traces of a 14th century bronze fire stick. The tower was restored in 2019. Private property, the site illustrates Alsatian feudal conflicts and medieval military adaptations, between family alliances and local rivalries.

The history of the castle is closely linked to that of the castle of Lutzelburg, bought and rebuilt around 1400 after a fire. The coat of arms of the Rathsamhausen family, affixed to the house, symbolizes their regional power. The two buildings, abandoned in the Renaissance, were consolidated in the 19th century, when interest in medieval heritage emerged. Historical excavations and studies (notably by Charles-Laurent Salch) have made it possible to date precisely the construction phases and the local geopolitical dynamics.

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