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Origin and history

The Hohlandsbourg is a castle built from 1279 by Sigfrid of Gundolsheim on a site occupied by the Bronze Age. Located near Colmar in the Upper Rhine, it became the property of the Habsburgs before 1289 and served as an imperial garrison. Its strategic role is to protect the city of Colmar and control access to the Munster Valley, with a clear view to Basel in clear weather.

In 1410, the castle was sold to the Lupfen, who kept it for 150 years before ceding it to Lazare de Schwendi in 1563. The latter modernises the fortress to adapt to artillery, adding a stronghold and strengthening the defences. During the Thirty Years' War, the castle changed hands several times: occupied by the Swedes in 1633, taken over by the French in 1634, then looted by the Imperials before being dismantled in 1637 by order of Richelieu.

Ranked a historic monument in 1840, Hohlandsburg fell in ruins until the 1980s. A controversial restoration site was launched in 1986 to make it a tourist site, but the works, carried out without prior archaeological excavations, destroyed some of the remains. Subsequent developments (2011–2013) add welcoming spaces, an outdoor theatre and a catering centre, while attempting to limit archaeological damage through remedial excavations in 1998 and 2004.

The castle consists of three parts: the Oberschloss (high medieval castle), a large courtyard surrounded by a pierced enclosure, and a 16th century bastion. Built of local granite, it uses the resources of the site, such as ditches dug in rock or nearby sources (Linsenbrunnen and Frauenbrunnen). Its architecture reflects its evolution, from medieval defences to artillery adaptations, although some modifications (such as the lack of protection of the foot of the walls) reveal strategic weaknesses.

The underlying archaeological site, a bronze age altitude station, attests to an ancient occupation. The limited and often late excavations revealed protohistoric and medieval remains, but the destructions of the 1980s irreversibly altered stratigraphy. Today, Hohlandsburg combines historical heritage and tourist vocation, despite the controversy related to its restoration.

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