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Origin and history

The house and tower on the walls of Altkirch are among the rare remains of the medieval fortifications of the city, built before 1215. These ramparts, originally designed to protect the castral settlement, were gradually modified from the 18th century to adapt to urban needs. A semicircular tower of the thirteenth century, adapted to military needs and then transformed into a dwelling between 1784 and 1831, survived the destructions of the First World War. This monument illustrates the evolution of fortifications, moving from a defensive role to civilian use, with developments such as the drilling of new doors or the authorization of buildings backed by walls.

The fortifications of Altkirch, including a castle and a quadrilateral enclosure, were probably built under the impulse of Frederick II of Ferrette at the turn of the 12th and 13th centuries. The town, which became the administrative center of the county, then passed under the control of the bishop of Basel and then of the Habsburgs, before being ceded to France in 1648. In the 18th century, the ramparts, considered obsolete, were partially dismantled or redeveloped, as evidenced by the creation of a new street crossing the walls. The castle, in ruins, was finally razed between 1844 and 1845 to give way to a church, leaving little trace of its original architecture, known mainly by 18th and 19th century drawings.

The semicircular tower still visible today, located 6 rue de la Vieille-Porte, is integrated into a five-storey house built between the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Although its exact use (abattoir or currency house) remains uncertain, this monument embodies the transition between the medieval era and modern urban transformations. The remains, inscribed in the Historic Monuments in 2012, recall the strategic importance of Altkirch, marked by its three-door pierced enclosure (including the New Gate opened in 1754) and its defensive towers, such as the Bloch Tower or the Schlaghaus Tower, adapted to artillery and then converted into houses.

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