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Nowhere in France - and perhaps in Europe - does one find such a concentration of medieval castles as on the Vosges ridges that dominate Alsace. More than 60 castles survive in varying states of preservation, from the most majestic to the most discreet vestiges, along a ridge line stretching from Wissembourg in the north to Mulhouse in the south. This exceptional concentration is explained by the strategic position of Alsace - a crossroads between France and the Germanic Empire, gateway to the Rhine plain, and a mandatory passage for the armies and merchants who criss-crossed medieval Europe.
The Alsatian castles were built mainly between the 11th and 14th centuries, at the initiative of the great noble families of the region - Hohenstaufen, Habsburg, Lichtenberg, Andlau, Fleckenstein - and the bishops of Strasbourg and Basel.
Haut-Koenigsbourg Castle, perched at 757 metres altitude on a rocky spur overlooking the Alsatian plain, is by far the most visited castle in the region with more than 500,000 annual visitors. Its imposing silhouette, visible from across the plain, has become one of the iconic images of Alsace.
The history of the castle dates back to the 12th century, when the Hohenstaufen built a first fortress there. Enlarged and remodelled by the Habsburgs in the 15th century, it was looted and burned by Swedish troops during the Thirty Years War in 1633, then fell into ruin for two centuries. It was the German annexation that would give it new life: Germany ceded the ruined castle to the city of Sélestat, which offered it to Emperor Wilhelm II in 1899. He had it restored from 1900 to 1908 by architect Bodo Ebhardt in a highly controversial but spectacular neo-medieval style. Today a property of the French state, Haut-Koenigsbourg is listed as a historic monument.
At the northern tip of Alsace, in the Haguenau forest, Fleckenstein Castle is one of the most spectacular and most original sites in the region. Built in the 12th century by the family of the same name, it is entirely carved into a 30-metre sandstone rock spur - the rooms, staircases, wells and passages are dug directly into the rock, creating a unique semi-troglodyte castle.
Fleckenstein was one of the most powerful castles of northern Alsace, controlling the forest roads and passes towards Lorraine and the Palatinate. Destroyed in 1680 on the orders of Louis XIV - who systematically razed the Vosges fortresses to secure the Rhine border - it has remained in ruins ever since. Today its spectacular vestiges are accessible by a footpath.
Andlau Castle, dominating the Andlau vineyard from its promontory, is one of the best-preserved medieval castles in Alsace. Built in the 13th century by the noble family of the same name, it later passed under the control of the bishops of Strasbourg. Its 27-metre keep, its well-preserved enclosure wall and its incomparable views over the vineyard and the plain make it one of the essential visits of the Vosges foothills.
A few hundred metres apart, Ortenbourg and Ramstein castles form an exceptional medieval ensemble dominating the Scherwiller valley and the vineyards of Dambach-la-Ville. Ortenbourg, built in the 13th century for the Habsburg counts, is remarkable for the elegance of its Gothic architecture and the quality of its pink sandstone construction. The neighbouring Ramstein, built by the bishops of Strasbourg at the same time, competed with it on the same heights.
Above Ribeauvillé, three castles succeed one another along the same ridge - Saint-Ulrich, Girsberg and Haut-Ribeaupierre - forming one of the most spectacular castle ensembles in Alsace. These three fortresses all belonged to the powerful family of the counts of Ribeaupierre, who controlled a large part of the Haut-Rhin during the Middle Ages.
Saint-Ulrich, the largest and best-preserved of the three, dates from the 12th century and offers an incomparable panoramic view over the vineyards and the Alsatian plain. Every year in early September, the town of Ribeauvillé celebrates the Pfifferdaj - the feast of the minstrels - which commemorates an ancient medieval tradition linked to these castles.
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Visiting the Alsatian castles requires a minimum of preparation to get the most out of the experience:
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