Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

Walbach Castle, first mentioned in 1336 as Burgerlin ("little castle"), originally belonged to the Girsberg family, which also owned part of the village and the nearby Gigersburg castle. In 1410, Jean-Guillaume de Girsberg transferred the estate to the Ribeaupierre, already owners of the other half of Walbach. This castle, more modest than the Gigersburg, probably served as a secondary residence or monitoring post in the valley.

At the beginning of the 16th century, the castle passed into the hands of the Walbach, vassals of the Ribeaupierre, which undertook important works: construction of the tower of stairs and reshaping of openings (windows, lintels carved of shells, typical of the Renaissance). Upon the extinction of the Walbach in 1559, the estate returned to the Ribeaupierre. In the middle of the 18th century, for lack of maintenance, the castle deteriorated deeply. The Deux-Ponts-Birkenfeld, heirs to the Ribeaupierre, launched a major restoration between 1763 and 1771, as evidenced by the dates engraved on the doors of the court. A fire, however, destroyed the barn in 1775, shortly after this work.

The French Revolution left the castle uninhabited until 1800, when it was bought by the Martin family. In 1898 Joseph Martin, then Mayor of Walbach, sold it to the farmer Hippolyte Blaise, whose descendants remained owners until the 1960s. Damaged during the Second World War (neighboring artillery battery), the castle was finally classified as a historic monument in 1946. Its architecture today combines a three-storey quadrangular house, 15th-century defensive elements, and 18th-century interior decorations (feathered stoves inspired by Guebwiller's stalls).

The site is distinguished by its closed courtyard, its spiral staircase, and its sandstone bench windows. The weapons hammered on the pediment and the dated doors recall the political upheavals (Revolution, property changes) that marked its history. Despite the partial destruction, there remains a testimony of feudal ties in Alsace between noble families (Girsberg, Ribeaupierre) and local vassals, as well as architectural adaptations over six centuries.

External links