Château du Pflixbourg, Haut-Rhin, France

Not far from Hohlandsbourg Castle, at an altitude of 454 m Pflixbourg Tower emerges from the canopy of Wintzenheim Forest like a lighthouse watching over the Fecht valley.

Built around 1219 by Albin Wolflin, imperial bailiff of Frederick II of Hohenstaufen, it then served as a residence for the great bailiff, Conrad Werner of Hattstatt. After many changes of ownership in the 14th and 15th centuries, it passed to Gaspard of Schlick, vice chancellor of the Emperor Sigismond. Sold in 1434 to Smassmann of Ribeaupierre, it was destroyed, it seems, during a conflict between the new owner and the nobles of Hattstatt.

Made uninhabitable, the castle was abandoned to nature. Polygonal in form, the Pflixbourg’s curtain wall encloses a circular keep, a cistern and various houses and outbuildings. The castle was built mainly of granite, on three levels: cellars, a ground floor, and the top floor rooms occupied by the owner and his suite. There were no later additions.

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User Reviews

Benz :3 (3 years ago)
Pleasant hike but there's not much to see as it is closed to the public

Niels M (4 years ago)
Nice walk, okay castle but unfortunately totally overgrown by plants. It’s not being maintained and it’s officially off limits.

Marcel Slaman (4 years ago)
Run down, overgrown and officially off-limits to the general public, but still worth it to hike up to when you're in the neighborhood!

Sonja Simmen (6 years ago)
Its a bit hidden and not super spectacular but still a nice castle o

Tal Manasherov (7 years ago)
A nice place.. doesnt have a view and cost 10 min of walking to it. Fun in ordering to visit the whole 5 castles, but i wouldnt go just to visit this castle

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Photo from Flickr, copyright discopalace

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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 du Pflixbourg

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