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Origin and history

The castle of Greifenstein, located in the state forest of Saverne in Alsace, is a castle in ruins built at 360 meters above sea level on a rocky promontory. He monitored access to the Ramsthal and Zorn valleys. The site houses two castles from different periods: the Old Greifenstein (XII century) and the Little Greifenstein (XIII century). Their name, of German origin (Greif for "craff" and stein for "stone"), reflects a tradition of stone fortresses on rocky spurs, opposed to the ancient castral mots.

The castle was first mentioned in 1156 in a charter of the bishop of Strasbourg, mentioning a Merboto of Greifenstein, probably linked to the Sires of Greifenstein. In the 13th century, the castle became a fief of the Ochsensteins, then a backfief of the Greifensteins under the episcopal authority. A second castle, the Little Greifenstein, is built east of the spur. The lineage of the lords of Greifenstein was extinguished in 1457, and the two castles passed to Count Palatin before being taken over by the bishop of Strasbourg after military conflicts.

Gradually abandoned, the castles were described as ruins as early as 1643. Their stones, especially those of the main dungeon (the widest of Alsace with 13 meters side), are reused to build the Episcopal Palace of Saverne (Castle of Rohan). The site, which was classified as a historic monument in 1898, retains significant remains: a large ditch separating the two castles, a renovated tower between the dungeons, and a panoramic view of Saverne, the Haut-Barr and the Zorn valley.

A local legend tells that the castle would be haunted by a white lady, avarice turned into a toad every Friday, guardian of a gold key giving access to her hidden treasures. This curse would end only if a young man kissed and stoked the key. This folk anecdote adds a mystical dimension to the ruins, already loaded with military and feudal history.

Architecturally, the Grand Greifenstein is distinguished by its massive dungeon and 12th century cistern, while the Petit Greifenstein, built around 1300, incorporates defensive elements such as a north chalk and a gun house (ca. 1444). An east wing, added at the end of the 15th or early 16th century, bears witness to the last modifications before its abandonment. Partial restorations took place in 1861–62, but the site remains an emblematic example of Alsatian castral architecture.

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