Château de Ferrette, Ferrette, France

Château de Ferrette is a ruined castle on a rocky peak looking over the town of Ferrette. It was built by in the 12th century by Frederic of Montbeliard, son of Louis IV, count de Monbéliard. It is not known if Frederic completely built the castle or simply restored a fortress by building on the ruins of what was an observation tower built by the Romans.

Given as a bailiwick to the lords Reich von Reichenstein in 1504, then to the Fuggers of Augsburg from 1540 to 1567, the castle was transformed into a garrison.

In 1600, the castle had three buildings, the higher castle, bailiff's house and house of knights. A wall with towers and bastions designed to be held in a determined attack, surrounded the castle.

Set on fire by the French in 1635, the castle was destroyed after the Thirty Years' War and only the lower part was restored. In 1644, at the Treaty of Munster in Westphalia, the Emperor of Austria yielded the county of Ferrette to the King of France, Louis XIV, who gave it to his minister, Cardinal Mazarin, who offered it to his niece. Her husband took the titles of Duke de Mazarin and Count de Ferrette. These titles were passed on to his heirs and exist today in the person of the Prince of Monaco who still carries the title of Count de Ferrette.

Thereafter, the castle was sold to the Zuber family, rich textile manufacturers from the Mulhouse region. Its ruins are maintained with the financial aid of the town of Ferrette.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Bodie H (2 years ago)
A really nice place to visit, a great sight, and beautiful views of the area.

Georg Fromherz (2 years ago)
Nice castle ruins with a good view over the valley.

Matthew Winterbottom (2 years ago)
This is a lovely place to visit. The ruins of the castle offer fantastic views across the whole Sundgau region, onto the Jura, Vosges, and Schwarzwald beyond. Ferrette is a nice little town with a few nice restaurants and Saturday market. Well worth the visit.

Anja Stenning (7 years ago)
Beautiful views from the top of the old castle ruins, and informative boards guide you through the structure. A nice way to spend 1-2 hours on a little hike. Not suitable for people less able to walk or baby buggies.

Михаль Маргуліс (7 years ago)
Fantastic excursion goal. Calm, beutyful, harmonic...

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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.

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