Château de Rothenbourg, Philippsbourg, France

The Château de Rothenbourg is a ruined castle in the commune of Philippsbourg. The castle, built on a hill called Rothenberg or Rodenberg, dates back to the 9th century. Around 912, the Bishop of Strasbourg, Otbert, pursued by rebellious subjects, took refuge at Rathburg which is perhaps Rothenburg, and was assassinated there shortly after.

The castle was certainly built by the Duke of Lorraine in the 13th century, and is constructed of dressed sandstone. At the end of the 13th century, it passed to the Counts of Zweibrücken-Bitsch. In the 14th century, Rothenburg partly belonged to Count Walram of Zweibrücken-Bitsch who gave it as a fiefdom in 1353 to Gerhard Harnasch von Weisskirchen.

In 1368, Rothenburg was taken and destroyed by the Strasbourgeois.

The castle seems to have given its name to the Blick de Rothenburg family, who held several fiefs from the Lords of Bitche, and who died out in 1749.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Sorti du passé, Un savoir oublié. (2 years ago)
Rothenburg Castle is a large rock with a few walls. For lovers of ruins, however, it remains interesting.

Lukas Gortner (2 years ago)
Beautiful natural ruin in the heart of the Vosges. Unfortunately, no real view of the region.

Rainer Kinzinger (3 years ago)
Great rock spur on which the castle once stood, not much is left of it.

Sébastien LETT (4 years ago)
beautiful ruins

frédéric Spieldenner (4 years ago)
Nice little trail to get there

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Sigmaringen Castle

Sigmaringen Castle was first mentioned in the year 1077 in the chronicles of Petershausen monastery. The oldest parts of the castle are concealed beneath the alterations made during the 17th and the 19th centuries. The secret of the earliest settlement built on this defendable rock will never be fully revealed: large-scale excavation work would be necessary, which the extensive land development renders impossible. Judging from the many Roman remains unearthed in the area around Sigmaringen, the 12th century keep known as the 'Roman Tower' could be traced back to a Roman predecessor.

The castle remains that have been preserved (gate, great hall and keep) date back to the Staufer period around 1200. The castle remains were integrated into subsequent buildings. The foundations of the castle buildings are to a large extent identical to the surrounding castle wall.

These remains give us a good idea of how the castle might have looked during the 12th century.

Château de Rothenbourg

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