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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The fortifications of Guemar, located in the Upper Rhine in the Greater East region, date mainly from the 14th and 18th centuries. They include a stone enclosure, round towers and a fortified gate, the Porte Haute (Obertor), built in stoneware bellows with defensive elements such as murderers and cannon guns. This door, raised in the 16th century, features taskman marks and a four-paned roof topped by a campanile. Four towers remain, some of which are joined to old buildings that have now disappeared, such as the castle partially destroyed.

The original enclosure, surrounded by a ditch, was probably erected before 1369, when Guemar (then Nieder-Gemar) became a city. A first fortification of wood or stone could date from the late 13th century, as evidenced by a siege in 1293 during a conflict between Adolphe de Nassau and Anselme de Ribeaupierre. In the 17th century, a engraving by Mérian described ten towers, but only four survived, including one restored in 1976 with a door dated 1672. The Fishermen's Gate (Fischerthor), now extinct, once opened outwards.

Ranked a historic monument in 1932, the Porte Haute was restored after 1945 under the direction of architect Charles-Henri Arnold. The current remains include sandstone and brick walls, ground-chambranled windows, and defensive elements such as braces and murderers. The site, owned by the commune, illustrates the evolution of military techniques between the Middle Ages and modern times, although the adjacent castle has almost completely disappeared.

The historical sources also mention a carved stone re-used in the masonry, decorated with medallions with male heads, as well as traces of old buildings attached to the towers. The absence of a door to the east suggests a defensive organization centered on the west and south accesses. Today, fortifications offer a rare testimony of Alsatian medieval urbanism, marked by feudal conflicts and subsequent architectural adaptations.

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