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:The Walls of Constantinople are a series of defensive stone walls that have surrounded and protected the city of Constantinople (today Istanbul) since its founding as the new capital of the Roman Empire by Constantine the Great. With numerous additions and modifications during their history, they were the last great fortification system of antiquity, and one of the most complex and elaborate systems ever built. They were also the largest and strongest fortification in both the ancient and medieval world.
Initially built by Constantine the Great, the walls surrounded the new city on all sides, protecting it against attack from both sea and land. As the city grew, the famous double line of the Theodosian Walls was built in the 5th century. Although the other sections of the walls were less elaborate, they were, when well-manned, almost impregnable for any medieval besieger.