The Château du Haut-Ribeaupierre is one of three castles (with the Château de Saint-Ulrich and the Château du Girsberg) which overlook the municipality of Ribeauvillé. Château du Haut-Ribeaupierre is the oldest of the Ribeaupierre's castles, its existence being known from 1084. It was constructed on an ancient Roman site. Then known as the 'Altenkastel', it was Anselme de Ribeaupierre who took possession of the castle in 1288.
Around 1368, Brunon de Ribeaupierre became owner. Dedicated to a ferocious hatred for the English, he imprisoned Sir John Harleston, who had an imperial safe conduct, in the keep from 1384 to 1387. He was only freed with the payment of a large ransom and after pressure from the Holy Roman Empire. At the end of the 13th century, the castle became a residence of the Ribeaupierres. Another noted prisoner was held in the keep in 1477. Philippe de Croy, Count of Chimay, ally of Charles the Bold, was captured by a Ribeaupierre at Nancy.
Most of the castle today is completely ruined and surrounded by dense vegetation.
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.