Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The fortifications of Riquewihr were erected from 1291 by decision of Burckard II, Count of Horbourg, to protect the city then under his rule. This first rectangular enclosure (300x200 m), 12 m high and 960 m long, was flanked by 4 corner towers (of which 3 remain), a central tower to the south (the Bourgeois tower), and two east/west accesses equipped with drawbridges. A ditch fed by the Sembach (width: 10-12 m, depth: 3-4 m) reinforced the device. Local materials – sandstone from the vicinity – were used for walls (thickness: 1.50 m), hump-angle chains, and cannon guns subsequently adapted to firearms.

In the 16th century, under the influence of the Dukes of Württemberg (whose weapons adorn the tower of the Thiefs), the enclosure was modernized and doubled to the south, east and west by a second low rampart (5 m wide) and a new ditch. The southeast and southwest corners were bastioned, while an octagonal tower (1615) was added to the northeast, connected by a vaulted underground to the Anabaptist tower. The tower of the Thiefs, pentagonal outside, housed a torture chamber with grit. The Dolder (inner high gate, 25 m), made of sandstone and wood, served as the main entrance to the west, while the lower gate, demolished in 1808, was replaced by the town hall.

The current remains include the western and northern walls (height: 8.50 m), the revamped Thief Tower, the Dolder with its campanile, and portions of the round road built into the houses. The exterior high door keeps traces of its drawbridge. In 1622, barricades and 3 healers were added out of the ditch by H. Willemann. In the 18th century, the vermoulus drawbridges were removed and the ditches closed. Ranked as a historical monument in 1900 (Porte Haute, Dolder, Tour des Voleurs), the fortifications were partially listed in 1986, 1996 and 2000 for their remains (walls, towers, bastions).

Riquewihr, owned by the Counts of Horbourg until 1324, illustrates the evolution of defensive techniques from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance. The adaptation to firearms (cannons, archer-canonries) and the integration of residential towers (such as the Hellerturm or the Anabaptist Tower) reflect military and urban needs. In 1804, the Bourgeois tower was destroyed, and a third gate to the south in 1805. Today, the enclosure, partially planted with linden trees since 1807, houses a small museum in the Dolder and private spaces (backed houses, guest rooms).

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