Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

Reichenstein Castle, located in Kientzheim in the Upper Rhine, dates back at least to the fifteenth century. Originally, a patrician house occupied the site, sold in 1489 by bailiff Hans Probst to Count Henry II of Württemberg. At the beginning of the 16th century, Wolf Sébastien de Reichenstein, baili of the Lupfens, acquired it and probably undertook its reconstruction or overhaul. The south wing, dated 1562, bears the coat of arms of Reichenstein and his wife Barbe de Wattwiller, although these coats of arms were damaged during the Revolution and restored after 1918. The castle was modernized around 1700 by the family of Boisgauthier, magistrates and parliamentarians who enlarged it with two pavilions and an extended garden.

In 1675 Jean de Boisgauthier, from Touraine, bought the property. His descendants made changes until the 18th century, adding elements such as a well and a wrought iron gate. In the 19th century, the merchant Eugène Ley transformed the ground floor into a cellar, while after 1918 the Baron de Turckheim made it a secondary residence, installing a Renaissance fireplace and a collection of decorative plates. The castle suffered extensive damage in 1944-1945 during the fighting and was restored in 1953 by architects P. Farge and J. D. Riegert. Since then, it has housed a restaurant and a town hall.

The architecture of the castle combines Renaissance and late Gothic elements, such as an oriel on a column, a room with armored shields, and a sandstone staircase decorated with reliefs. The vaulted room on the ground floor retains a monumental fireplace and a Gothic door, although the authenticity of their original location remains uncertain. The garden, renovated in the 20th century, includes statues, sandstone basins and fountains. Ranked a Historic Monument in 1996, the castle illustrates the architectural and social transformations of an Alsatian noble residence, from medieval wars to modern reconstructions.

The property passed into several influential hands: the family of Reichenstein (16th century), the Boisgauthier (16th-15th centuries), and then private owners such as Eugene Ley and the Baron of Turckheim. Each period left traces, from coats of arms staked under the Revolution to post-Second World War restorations. Today, the castle, owned by the municipality of Kientzheim, bears witness to this complex history through its facades, preserved interiors and adorned garden.

The elements protected since 1996 include the facades and roofs of the house body, the roof, the sandstone staircase, the wrought iron balcony, as well as interior parts such as the large vaulted hall. The fence wall, pavilions, wrought iron grilles and garden statues complete this classified set. Despite the destruction of 1944, the restoration preserved the spirit of the place, mixing medieval heritage, Renaissance embellishments and contemporary adaptations.

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